Rushes
by TinkerbelleT
Summary: School girl Gabriella Montez unexpectedly gets a role in the new "Fame Academy" movie and promptly develops a crush on her co star, the world hottest young actor Troy Bolton. When they got close during filming she's left wondering how he really feels. T
1. Chapter 1

**Happy Christmas all and welcome to my new story! If you've read my profile you'll know where the idea comes from and just to let you all know this is a little slower paced in places, but please stick with it. The rating is T but may change to M depending on what happens J! As always share your thoughts with me? Anyway on with the show! Tink. XX**

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_By early 1621, the Pilgrims had built crude huts and a common house on the shores of Plymouth Bay. Soon neighboring Indians began to build relations with the Pilgrims. Squanto, a local Indian who had been kidnapped and taken to England nearly a decade before, served as an interpreter with the local tribes. Squanto taught the Pilgrims to fertilize the soil with dried fish remains to produce a stellar corn crop_- "Gabriella! Gabriella!"

Gabriella Montez turned her head sideways, looking up from the notes she was taking on the first thanksgiving and glanced at the petite brunette who hissed her name, avoiding the steely gaze of their history teacher Mr. Mathis.

"What?" she mouthed, glancing around, making sure she wasn't seen.

"You have to see this" Kelsi Neilson whispered, indicating to the magazine she held in her hand disguised as a history book.

Gabriella shook her head hurriedly "Kels, we're supposed to be studying"

Kelsi grinned at her best friend, who looked at her with worried, guilty eyes "I know, but this is important" she hissed back.

Gabriella sighed and knowing she would not get any studying done until Kelsi was satisfied, she lifted her hand to beckon her over. With a quick look Kelsi left her seat across the table and plonked herself down next to Gabriella, smiling wickedly.

"What's so important you have to interrupt my essay? You do know it's due next week?" she pointed out a little testily.

Kelsi rolled her eyes at her friend and placed the magazine down on her notebook.

"Read this…. then you can thank me" she giggled, her green eyes twinkling.

Gabriella looked down and silently began to read, as she did a slight smile spread across her features and she looked at friend coyly.

"Told you" Kelsi singsonged.

"Okay you were right, it's exciting" Gabriella admitted quietly, trying not to draw attention to herself.

"That's it? Just exciting? That's all you have to say?"

Gabriella shrugged lightly, embarrassed "Alright it's amazing"

"I don't get you Gabi…you proclaim to be Troy Bolton's biggest fan yet when you find out he's coming to Albuquerque, you don't even raise an eyebrow"

"Kels, I have studying to do" she said softly, feeling agitated that she was talking when she was supposed to be engaged in silent study.

"Gabriella Montez…you find out that Troy Bolton, "**the** hotness" is coming to Albuquerque to shoot his latest movie and all you wanna do is study …I thought you'd be putting that brain of yours to good use, planning how we can get to see him"

"Look Kelsi, it's probably just a rumor…you know how they start, first it's on Just Jared and then the tabloids pick it up-," she whispered, her heart sinking as a stern voice interrupted her.

"Montez! Neilson! I said _silent_ study…I have just spent the last two minutes watching you openly chat, now that's enough" he snapped, standing behind them, his face set.

Mortified Gabriella flushed and nodded, praying he would walk away.

Fate it seemed was not on her side when he looked over shoulder and picked the magazine from her notebook as though it was something disgusting.

"This is what you were doing in my lesson? Reading this tripe? Teen heartthrob Troy Bolton comes to Albuquerque…. Class detention the pair of you-"

"What?" Gabriella gasped, sharing a look with Kelsi "But Mr. Mathis I-"

"Enough!" he wrote out the sanction slip "Take this to detention, both of you and I want you to complete your notes for tomorrow's lesson…now go!"

Gabriella got to her feet slowly, the shame of mortification burning on her cheeks and she blushed red, aware of the stares of her classmates as she gathered her belongings. Kelsi followed suit shooting evil looks at Mr. Mathis as she went. The pair left the room and headed down to the auditorium where class detention was being held this period.

"Kelsi I can't believe you got us into this" Gabriella muttered as they walked along the hallway.

Kelsi sighed guiltily knowing her friend was upset, Gabriella was an honor student and being placed in detention was a big deal for her.

"Gab, I'm sorry…really I just thought you would be stoked to find out about Troy Bolton, it's not every day a movie shoot comes to town, I couldn't keep it to myself…we so have to find out where it's being shot…Oh My God we could be in it…. _we_ could be in Fame Academy 3…we could be extras…Gabriella will you please try and get a little excited!" she cried, her arms flailing wildly as she talked.

" I am excited really I am, you know I think he's hot but Kels there is a time and a place for everything…. I can't believe this, me! In detention! Will this be on my permanent record?"

Kelsi snorted and smiled at her friend "Gabriella, it's not that bad, really, if Darbus is on, it can be kinda fun, there's usually something goin on with Drama Club"

"You say that like you've done this before"

Kelsi shrugged as they pushed open the door of the auditorium and the sound of familiar music filled their ears "Where do you think I write all my best pieces?"

Gabriella followed Kelsi nervously into the room and looked about her, expecting to see disillusioned students, heads down, working. Instead what she saw made her shake her head in wonder. A small group of students were gathered around a piano, singing, smiling as a larger than life teacher hummed along with them, moving her arms as though conducting an invisible orchestra.

Gabriella recognized her as the Drama teacher Ms Darbus, dressed as usual in one of many long colorful Kaftans. She let her gaze fall around the room, spotting the groups of student huddled in corners, running lines, going over dance steps, all animated, all having fun.

"This is detention?" she asked Kelsi, who smirked at the expression on awe on Gabriella's face.

"C'mon in, don't be shy" Kelsi encouraged, as they walked towards the piano where Ms Darbus and the students were running the song again.

"Ah Ms Neilson, we see you again and what's this, Ms Montez? What are you doing in detention?" Ms Darbus asked, looking down her glasses at the girls.

"I, there, there was a mix up in class" she mumbled, embarrassed at woman's the gentle teasing.

"Well now you're here we best make use of you…do you sing Ms Montez?"

"S-Sing? No" Gabriella shook her head so forcefully her midnight curls bounced around her face, her cheeks flaming.

Kelsi rolled her eyes and nudged her friend "Stop being so modest Gabriella, she has a great voice Ms Darbus"

Gabriella wanted to sink into the floor as Ms Darbus eyed her speculatively "Miss Montez, perhaps you would favor us with a song, you are in fact on detention and detention involves sanctions… I think to give you lines would frankly be a waste of time, something tells me you would enjoy it " Ms Darbus said but her eyes were twinkling, clearly amused by the petite girl in front of her.

"But I thought I would only have to finish my notes…isn't that what usually happens?"

"Indeed it is but in _my _detentions we like to do things with a little more flair, a little more creativity…perhaps you could run some lines with Kelsi for our spring musicale" she said with an artistic flourish of her arms.

Gabriella nodded, relieved to be out of the spotlight for a while, aware of people watching her curiously, aware of the whispers "is that really Gabriella Montez…on detention?"

"But Ms Darbus I really need to go over these songs" Kelsi turned beseeching eyes on Gabriella "please Gab, I really, really need the practice"

Gabriella looked around her at the small group of students who were all smiling and nodding encouragingly, she felt a little silly but she knew Kelsi wanted her to.

"N, not by myself" she mumbled, embarrassed.

"We'll all join in, okay?" she said with a grateful smile and began to rummage around in her bag for the lyrics and within seconds was handing them to Gabriella. She glanced down at them, smiling a little as she recognized the words to one of the songs from her favorite musical.

"Hairspray? You're doing Hairspray this semester?"

Kelsi nodded and rolled her eyes as she sat down at the piano "Geez Gab, where have you been all year…have you listened to anything I've said to you for the last few weeks?" Kelsi asked sounding a little hurt.

"I'm sorry Kels, it slipped my mind" she lied, feeling guilty. The truth was she had so much homework to do, she didn't really think too much about other people's extra curricular activities. Her life revolved around school and studying, it had been her mom's dream for her to go Stanford as long as she could remember and as a result she felt as though she studied constantly.

"Hmm well, you can just make it up to me by letting me use you as a guinea pig…we'll take it from the top okay everyone" she looked at the students around her who nodded and shuffled closer. Gabriella watched them from the corner of her eye, wondering if they were looking at her, she hated to be stared at. Although she loved to sing she was only comfortable in the privacy of her car or at home.

As the familiar notes began, Gabriella forced herself to take a deep breath and when everyone began to sing, so did she, all the time looking around furtively to see who was watching her, judging her.

After only a few lines of "You can't stop the Beat" it became apparent that nobody was paying her much attention and she felt herself begin to relax, not even relying on the sheet music given to her by Kelsi. All around her people were singing, smiling, moving in time with the music and suddenly Gabriella felt an odd sense of exhilaration and freedom, she was singing in public and nobody was bothered, nobody was looking at her, everybody else was too busy having a good time. It was the most uplifting experience of her life. Singing with others made her feel as though she was part of something, something bigger than herself, something other than her school work. By the time the last verse and chorus came around, Gabriella was singing loudly, confidently, moving in time with the beat just like the others. She had never felt so alive.

From her place against the stage Ms Darbus watched Gabriella, as she sang timidly, quietly, darting frequent looks about her to make sure no one was staring, that no one was laughing at her. She stood with her shoulders dropping, a little hunched, clearly embarrassed and uncomfortable. But then as the song progressed something had changed. Ms Darbus had smiled to herself as Gabriella's confidence grew, her singing stronger, more focused, her voice carrying above the others, her enthusiasm and excitement visible in the happy flush on her cheeks as she moved somewhat self consciously with the beat.

Miss Montez it seemed was something of a dark horse, one of the most charismatic performers she had seen in a long while and if all the roles hadn't been filled, Ms Darbus would have demanded Gabriella audition. The young latina was pretty in a bookish, understated way and would make a fine leading lady if she could just overcome her nerves. In fact it was on the tip of her tongue to place Gabriella as an understudy but she couldn't do that without seeing her act or dance and she felt Gabriella wasn't quite ready to run when she had only just found her feet.

As the song drew to a close Ms Darbus rose to her feet and crossed the room to stand behind Gabriella.

"Bravo, Brava" she cried, clapping her hands together "It seems Miss Montez you are something of a dark horse" she told her, giving voice to her earlier thoughts.

Gabriella smiled and ducked her head shyly "Thank you…. I enjoyed it"

"Ah you did? Well perhaps we could find room for you in our chorus line, maybe a detention kid? Seems appropriate don't you think?" she said with a little laugh.

Gabriella was about to shake her head no, when something stopped her. All her school life was based around academia; she had no "fun" activities. Her entire life revolved around studying and homework, she had nothing to give her a break. Perhaps being in the musical would give her something else to focus on, something to take her mind off her studies when it all became too much and it was only in the chorus line after all, it wouldn't be too demanding.

Kelsi looked at her friend and nodded enthusiastically "You should do this Gab, it'd be great fun"

Gabriella tilted her head "I'm not sure Kels, I have so much homework, I don't know if I'd have time and there's my mom, I don't know what she would say"

"You can get extra credit…your mom couldn't possibly object to that and think how cool it would look on your Stanford application." Kelsi said dangling the Stanford carrot in front of her indecisive friend.

She took a deep breath and then nodded hesitantly "Um okay, if you think I'd be any good"

Ms Darbus could hear the uncertainty in her voice and she smiled at the girl "Miss Montez I think you would grace any stage you set yourself on, whether it be academic or creative…perhaps when you feel ready we could discuss the possibility of you becoming one of our understudies…you have such a beautiful voice it would be a shame not to use it"

Gabriella felt herself blushing again, aware now of the stares of the people around her, her an understudy?

Ms Darbus clapped her hands, her kaftan billowing as she did so "Attention everyone" she began, waiting for the general noise and chitter chatter to die down "I would like to announce a new addition to our cast… Miss Montez has kindly agreed to be in the chorus…detention kid it is"

Gabriella glanced around her afraid of being laughed at but nobody was laughing at her, in fact they were all smiling bemusedly and nodding. She saw no censure or mockery just acceptance and she felt herself relax a little.

"Think how much fun we can have" Kelsi said softly, excitedly and Gabriella nodded with an excited giggle agreeing with her friend. It was time for her to have some fun. Singing had given her a feeling that textbooks could not, and all she had to do was follow that feeling and see where it took her.


	2. Zefron

Here it is folks…the next chapter…let me know what you're thinking? Good? Bad? Ugly? Love Tink. XX

Two weeks later Gabriella opened her locker door with a smile as she stowed her textbooks and retrieved the well-thumbed script from it's resting place.

"You ready?" came a breathless voice from behind her. She turned with a smile to see Kelsi carrying a manila folder under her arm and a bottle of water in her hand.

She nodded and shut the door, falling into step beside Kelsi

"So, where does your mom think you are tonight?" Kelsi asked as they made their way through the nearly deserted hallways of East High.

"History club…told her we wanted to get a head start on my next essay" she replied with a little frown.

"Gab, why don't you just tell your mom the truth?"

"Because she wouldn't understand…. you know what she's like, if it's not to do with school work then she thinks I shouldn't do it…besides I don't want her to know"

" So how are you planning on explaining the fact you'll have three evening performances to do"

Gabriella tilted her head and wrinkled her nose "I hadn't got that far yet"

Kelsi sighed as they pushed open the doors to the auditorium "Well you'd better think of something quick. Spring break isn't far away and after that there are only two weeks left"

"I know, I'll think of something…I'm smart," she said with a giggle as they stepped into the room.

The auditorium was deserted, silent, cast in half darkness. Kelsi flicked on the lights and called out,

"Hello…Ms Darbus?"

There was no reply. The girls stepped further into the room and as they did so, Gabriella noticed a hastily written sign pinned to the wall near the door,

"Drama Club rehearsals cancelled for this evening. Back tomorrow as normal, Ms Darbus"

Kelsi sighed disappointedly "Well that's that then"

Gabriella shook her head "We can still practice, we can run some lines maybe go over a few songs"

"You sure you want to…I need the practice but it means it's all on you"

Gabriella nodded "I'm sure, singing in front of you doesn't bother me, you've heard me in the car" she giggled, as they crossed to the piano.

"Well if we're gonna do this, you might as well do this properly….up you go" Kelsi said with a pointed look at the stage.

"Really? Can't I just stay down here with you"

Kelsi shook her head firmly "It will give me a better idea of the acoustics"

Reluctantly Gabriella walked the steps and stood center stage, looking at her feet, her arms crossed over her body.

"Relax Gab, it's only me, try not to look so petrified" she laughed at her friends discomfort.

Gabriella stuck out her tongue and forced herself to uncross her arms, letting them hang stiffly by her side.

"See, much better… can we try "I Can Hear the Bells…. that okay with you Gab?"

Gabriella nodded and took a few breaths as Kelsi played the opening bars; opening her mouth she began to sing.

"_I can hear the bells, well don't you hear 'em chime? _

_Can't you feel my heartbeat keeping perfect time?_

And all because he...

Touched me,  
He looked at me and stared yes he...

Bumped me,  
My heart was unprepared when he...

Tapped me,  
And knocked me off my feet, one little touch now my life's complete 'cause when he...

Nudged me,  
Love put me in a fix yes it...

Hit me,  
just like a tonne of bricks,

_Yes my heart burst now I know what life's about,_

_One little touch and love's knocked me out…"_

Ms Darbus swept along the corridor chatting animatedly with her guests, pointing out several interesting features of the building, directing them to the fire exits, drawing their attention to the high ceilings and wide hall ways.

"East High has such character, as do our students, we all like to think it's a very special institution" she gushed, as she strode purposefully towards the auditorium, faltering slightly as the sound of music hit her ears. She stopped in front of the doors and turned to them with a smile.

"In here we have our auditorium, where drama club usually rehearses…we're doing Hairspray this semester" she said and the couple with her smiled blandly, uninterested "I did cancel rehearsals for this evening but it appears one or two of my students may not have got the message" she said with an apologetic tone, pulling the doors open and ushering the visitors inside.

As they stepped through the doors, Ms Darbus was surprised to see Gabriella on stage, singing her heart out as she blocked through the dance for "I can Hear the Bells" with Kelsi at the piano nodding encouragingly.

For a second Ms Darbus said nothing, she was loathe to make her presence felt, not wanting to disturb Gabriella's performance. She looked at her guests and noticed they had their heads together, whispering, half looking at each other, half looking at Gabriella.

"That is my newest recruit to Drama club, Miss Montez…she's one of our honor students, who will be acting as understudy for the role of Penny…she's very good isn't she?" she trilled, unable to stop her smile of pride as she watched Gabriella.

As the last few notes of the song faded and Gabriella returned to her position on center stage, Ms Darbus stepped forward, clapping loudly as she did.

"Brava Miss Montez…we'll have a thespian out of you yet" she cried.

Gabriella jumped guilty at the sound of her voice, looking up to see Ms Darbus coming towards them, closely followed by a tall willowy woman with dark hair and friendly eyes. Beside her a small balding man, looked appraisingly at first Kelsi and then Gabriella, before nodding to himself.

"Miss Nielson, Miss Montez, did you not get my message that rehearsals were cancelled for this evening?" she asked looking over her glasses, at the girls who had the decency to look sheepish.

Kelsi jumped to her feet as Gabriella stepped down from the stage.

"I'm sorry Ms Darbus…it's my fault I wanted to practice," Gabriella admitted quietly, in a soft voice.

Kelsi shook her head "No it's my fault I persuaded her to sneak in with me…._I_ really need the practice and I didn't see the harm in it"

Gabriella opened her mouth to argue, to defend her friend but Ms Darbus held up a hand to silence them.

"Ladies, ladies...I don't suppose it matters much now" she muttered and turned her attention to the people stood at her side "I would like to introduce Angela White and Chris Bishop, from Zefron pictures"

Kelsi threw Gabriella a look, as a pair of identical smiles spread across their faces, Zefron pictures was the production company behind the Fame Academy movies. They were here at East High!

"Ms White is the location scout…they are thinking about using parts East High for some of the latest movie. Mr. Bishop is the casting director, he wanted to speak to me abut the possibility of using some East High students as extras" Ms Darbus said with a thrilled smile.

Gabriella felt her heart race as a million butterflies were released in her stomach; they were going to film here at east high! She looked at Kelsi who wore a matching grin and knew what she was thinking! Troy Bolton!

Chris looked at the petite girls stood before him, surprised by the talent he had witnessed in a scant few minutes. The girls were young cute and looked like typical high school students, easy to blend in but there was something about them that would also make them stand out. Gabriella especially, she was stunningly pretty with her long dark hair and big brown eyes and if her singing voice was anything to go by she could have a lot of screen presence. He looked at them as they grinned, their excitement shining on their faces. Fame Academy appealed to girls of all ages.

"Hi girls" he said with a warm smile "I think you two have something pretty special….if we spoke with your parents, would you be interested in coming to an open casting call? We need extras for the scenes in and around the academy," he told them, smiling easily, already knowing the answer.

Kelsi nodded enthusiastically but Gabriella seemed hesitant, unsure biting her lip.

"Miss Montez, is there a problem?" Ms Darbus asked concerned that she seemed reluctant.

"I'm not sure what my mom will say" she admitted quietly "I mean will it interfere with my school work?"

Chris shook his head "we don't anticipate that no…our plan is to shoot all the scenes with the extras first, over vacation, that way nobody, not you, not the school, and not the cast, gets disrupted too much"

"Oh" she mumbled "Well I suppose I could ask my mom" she added brightening a little, showing him a set of perfect pearly white teeth as she smiled. There was something so likeable about her, he knew she would light up the screen and he had an idea.

"That's great, what we need you to do is bring a resume and a head shot with you. You should maybe prepare a little something before hand, you know a monologue, a few verses of a song, maybe a few dance steps, that kind of thing…show us what you made of" he said with an smile at the nervous teen.

"Okay" Kelsi said happily "Er, Mr. Bishop, will er, will any of the cast be at the auditions?" she asked trying to sound casual and failing.

Chris smiled, sensing her hidden question "No… Miss Nielson is it? No, Troy Bolton won't be there"

Gabriella felt a little pang of disappointment; she would have killed to see _the _Troy Bolton up close. Despite her outward behavior and what she said to Kelsi, she had a total crush on him, she had seen all his movies and had posters of him scattered around her walls, even some pictures in her diary. With his shaggy blond hair, deep blue eyes and warm smile he was everything teenage fantasies were made of and more.

"Well Ms Darbus, now we have met our future stars of tomorrow perhaps we could continue with the tour" Angela quipped, with a smile at the now deflated girls. They hid their disappointment well but she could see it lurking in their eyes, they wanted to meet Troy Bolton, hell half the world wanted to meet him and there were times that she couldn't blame them. He was one beautiful guy, she thought to herself, they were times at the shoot that she had to just stop and stare and admire the phenomenon that was Troy Bolton.

"Certainly, if you'll step this way we will move on to the gymnasium…girls I will see you tomorrow" Ms Darbus said with a sweeping gesture and broad smile, leading the couple away.

Kelsi waited until the auditorium was empty once more and turned to Gabriella with a grin, so wide it almost split her face.

"We're gonna be in Fame Academy!" she whooped, bouncing on the spot.

"You mean you will be….Kelsi I really can't see my mom agreeing to this" she said sadly.

"Gab, she has to let you, how often will you get the chance to see Troy Bolton close up? Talk to her Gab, she has to let you" she insisted.

Gabriella shrugged lightly "I'll do what I can but I don't think she'll go for it"

The idea of being an extra in Fame Academy stayed with Gabriella all the way home and all through dinner. As Gabriella and her mom sat down to eat, her phone bleeped. Kelsi had sent her a text message.

"**Well??????"**

"Who's that hija?" her mother asked as she served the vegetables.

"Just Kelsi mamai, wanting to some help with homework" she lied, feeling guilty as she spoke, putting her phone back in her pocket.

"You're a good friend Gabriella, helping that girl and staying back all those hours after school…have you done all your homework for this evening?"

Gabriella nodded "Yes mamai"

Her mother beamed proudly "Because I don't need to remind you how important good grades are for getting into Stanford, do I?"

Gabriella stabbed a vegetable with her fork and raised it to her lips "No mamai" she popped it into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully for a few seconds.

She wanted to ask her mom about being in the movie but couldn't think of the right way to go about it; she ate in silence, her brow furrowed

"Is something wrong Gabi? You've been very quiet all night," her mom said kindly, some minutes later.

"No, no…. nothing is wrong, although there is something I've been meaning to talk to about" she said shakily.

"Okay… you're not in trouble or anything are you?" she asked in concern.

Gabriella shook her head and pushed her food around her plate, searching for the right words.

"Well it must be something to put you off your dinner"

"Nothing really…. it's just, I found out today that a movie company might be using East High as a location in their next film…and they would like me to audition as an extra" she said quietly, looking down at her plate as she spoke.

Her mother was silent for a few seconds as she considered what Gabriella had said, "How did that happen?"

"They heard me singing in the auditorium today," she confessed, still looking at the plate unable to meet her mother's eyes.

"Why would you be singing in the auditorium, if you were at history club?"

Gabriella felt the weight of her lies pressing on her shoulders and shrugged against it.

"I wasn't at history club…. I was at drama club," she admitted quietly.

Her mother put down her knife and fork and stared at her, not a good sign.

"You lied to me Gabriella…why? You know I feel about liars" she spoke softly, almost kindly but her disappointment came through loud and clear.

"I'm sorry Mamai, really I am but I thought you wouldn't let me go"

"Why on earth would you think that?" she questioned her daughter, looking at the earnest expression on her beautiful face.

"Because you always go on about the importance of my school work and how I haven't got time to socialize on school nights…I thought if you knew I was at drama club, you wouldn't let me go" she murmured, guiltily.

"Gabriella, your school work is very important, you know that as well as I do… but drama club is school based, if you would have asked, I would have given you permission"

Gabriella looked up from her plate in surprise, smiling at her mother but she didn't smile back.

"You would have?"

"Yes hija I would" she sighed, "How in the world did you end up joining drama club? I thought you hated that sort of thing"

Gabriella shook her head, her eyes dancing, her excitement making her forget herself and she blurted, "Oh no mamai, I love it…it started when I got detention and Ms Darbus said I was really good and she-"

"Stop right there young lady, detention? You have never told me about any detention…more lies Gabriella?" she said accusingly.

"No! It wasn't like that mamai, I forgot to tell you…Kelsi gave me a magazine article about Troy Bolton to read during silent study and Mr. Mathis caught us talking" she tried to explain.

"So not only were you not doing the work, you were also talking…. Gabriella I am shocked at you, why on earth would you let yourself get into trouble over some silly movie star!"

"But mamai, it was an accident" she protested.

Her mother shook her head "No Gabriella it was not, you chose to read the magazine instead of work, you chose to talk during silent study, you deserved the detention…you chose to lie to me about that detention and now I find you have being lying to me again about your whereabouts after school" she sighed and shook her head at her daughter "I'm an so disappointed in you Gabriella, you've let the school down, you've let me down but worst of all you have let yourself down"

"I'm sorry mamai but I couldn't tell you" she tried again, tears springing to her eyes, hating the conflict with her mother and the uncomfortable feeling it gave her.

"Yes you could, but you chose to lie and you know I find lying unforgivable…I want you to go to your room, you are grounded and there will be no more drama club, especially if it encourages it's members to lie" she said sternly, looking her daughters downcast face, angry that she'd been lied to on more than one occasion. She couldn't believe that Gabriella would do that to her, when she had always told her everything, they had no secrets, no need for lies between them.

Gabriella rose to her feet and looked down at her mother "I'm sorry Mamai" she whispered, her voice thick with unshed tears and turning from the table she headed to her bedroom.

Once inside she shut the door and threw herself onto her bed to let the tears come. She cried, cried for the conflict with her mother, cried for the icky feeling she got knowing she disappointed her and cried for the fact there would be no more drama club and no Fame Academy, no chance to meet Troy Bolton. She lifted her head from the pillow as she cried and her eyes fell on the poster opposite her.

Troy Bolton grinned back at her, his dark blue eyes, seeming to tell her it would be okay, his smile warm and reaching out to her. All she wanted was to have the chance to be a normal teenager, and not some kind of freaky genius girl. Being an extra on Fame Academy would have given her something else to focus on, something a lot of other people didn't have. Something to make her stand out for a reason other than her intellect. The poster reminded her of what she couldn't have but she couldn't remove it or the others.

Her wall was littered with pictures of him; some in color others in black and white, some serious, some funny, but all breathtakingly beautiful. Gabriella had adored him since the first Fame Academy movie and even now three years later, she still did, although only Kelsi knew the intensity of her secret crush. She considered herself to be above such things as giggling in corridors over guys but in the privacy of her room, she loved to stare into those haunting eyes, to daydream about one day getting lost in them. To imagine that one day she would get to meet him and he would fall hopelessly in love with her. She smiled to herself a little ruefully as she acknowledged how foolish such a dream was, a million girls probably felt the same way.

Her tears abated slowly as she realized that she had been in the wrong, she had lied to her mother, which was one thing she promised herself she would never do. Her upset came more from the fact that her mother was right and she had lied, than the fact she wouldn't be allowed to continue with drama club or audition for the movie. Gabriella hated conflict of any kind and for her mother to be angry and upset with her left a bad taste in her mouth. She knew she had to go down and apologize to her, as she got to her feet she muttered,

"Wish me luck Troy" and headed out the door.

As she reached the end of the hallway she heard the telephone ring, after only a few seconds her mother answered and Gabriella perched on the top step, not wanting to intentionally listen but curious. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her cheek on them.

"Yes this is Mrs. Montez….Oh good evening Ms Darbus" she heard her mother say into the telephone her tone slightly disapproving.

"Yes Gabriella has informed me of that" she paused "I don't think that it is a good idea Ms Darbus, you see Gabriella has not made me aware of her whereabouts these past weeks and I really feel that allowing her to take part will not reinforce the message I want to give my daughter"

She paused again and was silent, obviously listening to Ms Darbus. Gabriella felt her heart sink, she wasn't going to be allowed to audition. But she could not deny it was all she deserved.

"I understand that Ms Darbus, but she lied to me and I cannot allow that to go unpunished…. whilst I see what you are saying, I don't think it would be the best move for her right now"

Again more silence "Oh really, well that is quite interesting,"

Gabriella perked up as she listened to her mother again "I suppose I can talk with Gabriella, it's just I don't want her head turned by any of this Troy Bolton, movie nonsense…she's a smart girl, a good girl and that is how I would like it to stay…she is going to Stanford next year and I wouldn't want that to change but I do understand the benefits if she was to be successful"

There was along pause "I will, thank you for calling Ms Darbus, goodnight…Gabriella you may as well come down, I know you're listening hija" she called up the stairs, Gabriella jumped guiltily at having been caught eavesdropping.

Wiping her eyes on the back of her shirt she went down stairs and into the den, sitting herself on the sofa next to her mother.

"I am sorry Mamai," she said softly, somewhat tearfully again as she came face to face with her mother's disapproval.

"Gabriella, hija…_. why_ did you feel you had to lie to me?"

She shrugged, toying with her shirtsleeves "I thought you wouldn't let me go to drama club because it's not exactly academic, it's the easiest thing in the world to do, I don't even have to work at it"

Her mother sighed and reached out to her, stroking her hair "Gabriella I only want what is best for you, that's why I push you to be the best you can be…and I also want to be happy… if you had told me drama club made you happy then you would have had my blessing….but now it's made me think twice about letting you stay on…you know Ms Darbus called me"

Gabriella nodded, interested to see what she had said, what had sparked the change in her mother, the willingness to discuss the possibility.

"Ms Darbus told me that the casting director was very impressed with you and wants you to audition for him at the weekend…she told me, it is very rare to get a personal invite from a casting director if you are not in the business…she also told me how good she thinks you are and that the movie company can pay you well enough to add to your college fund…. She also made a point about things like this looking good on college application forms"

"But what do you think Mamai?" she asked her heart racing, not daring to guess the outcome.

"I won't lie to Gabriella, it's against all my instincts as a parent to allow you to do this given that you lied to me… but on the other hand I would be going against my duty as your mother to deny you this chance" she sighed, stroking her face "You hurt me hija when you lied to me, I never thought you would lie to me….I always thought you could come to me with anything"

"And I can and I will, but I was scared of what you would say" she admitted.

"Gabi, I never want you to be scared to come to me, I'm your mother and I love you"

"I Love you too Mamai" she said quietly.

"And that is why I have decided you can audition on Saturday"

Gabriella squealed with delight and threw herself into her mothers waiting arms, their combined weight toppling them backwards onto the sofa.

"Thank you mamai, thank you," she cried over and over, her excitement bubbling to the surface.

Her mother hugged her close for a moment longer but then set herself away so she could look into her eyes "But anymore lies and the deal is off and you have to complete all your homework regardless" she said sternly but with a twinkle in her eye.

"Fame Academy here I come" she cried and dashed from the room to call Kelsi, knowing she would be the only one who could understand how elated she felt at that moment.


	3. Cold Reading

**Here is the next chapter folks, it's a little longwinded but it is important to the story so please give it a chance. Let me know what you think? Love as always Tink. XXX**

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Gabriella gazed around her in awe at the hundreds of chattering, giggling teens, huddled together in front of the Albuquerque Convention center.

"Looks like the word is out" Kelsi quipped, as they took their places in line. It was seven am Saturday morning and already there were nearly two hundred people there, some had even camped over night judging by the various sleeping bags and pillows. A sense of anticipation hung in the air and Gabriella could feel the butterflies in her stomach, she was full of nervous energy.

"You know Kels, maybe this isn't such a good idea," she said as four more cute girls moved in behind them, talking excitedly, giggling.

"Gabriella, we were invited to come, besides it'll be fun…what time do the doors open?" she asked craning her neck, trying to see the front of the line.

"Eight-fifteen I think," she paused looking around her again "Kelsi are you sure this is a good idea, we probably won't even make it" she fretted, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Gabi, all we are doing is auditioning as extras, not going for the lead role," she laughed at the worried expression on her friends face.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around her waist and looked around at the crowd. Most of the girls, wore very little clothing and lots of makeup, the amount of cleavage on show was indecent and Gabriella suddenly felt very conscious of her appearance. She glanced down at the floaty white sundress she wore, wishing it was something a bit more edgy, her fingers automatically going to the white daisy slides in her hair, holding back her ebony curls.

"Kelsi do I look a geek?" she asked hesitantly.

Kelsi shook her head "You look cute Gabs really"

She wished she'd worn heels to give her a little more height, make her feel a little more confident and she wondered if she should have made more of an effort with her hair, no matter how hard she tried to straighten it or tie it back, her curls always managed to escape. In the end she had given up and opted for the little clips, just to keep it out of her eyes.

Kelsi, who snorted inelegantly as a tall blond wiggled past them wearing a pink halter-top and jean skirt, interrupted her train of thought. Gabriella noticed her boobs were prominently displayed and she goggled at her.

"Somebody is trying way too hard…. look she's trying to cut in line…they'll send her back" Kelsi said gleefully.

Gabriella watched in amazement as instead of being sent away, the door opened and she was ushered inside.

"How the hell?" Kelsi huffed beside her

"Maybe she's a new cast member…they'll need someone since Matilda Delaney walked" Gabriella said referring to the star of Fame Academy who

had sensational walked out in a row over pay.

"God I hope not! Did you see her? She looked about thirty"

Gabriella giggled, "Way too old to still be in school"

"There is no way some of these people are still in high school," Kelsi said with a pointed look at some "girls" ahead of them in the line.

"It doesn't really matter though does it, Troy Bolton is twenty two and he's playing a seventeen year old" Gabriella said with a dreamy smile and Kelsi giggled

"Yeah but he doesn't look that old"

Gabriella's attention wandered and beside her Kelsi chatted animatedly, she nodded occasionally to show she was listening but her mind was on her audition. She was terrified; Kelsi was a natural performer and had tried out and starred in many high school musicals. Gabriella wasn't used to being in the spotlight and the thought of performing in front of hundreds of people, even for a few minutes, made her feel more than a little sick. She ran over her monologue again and again, making sure she was word perfect, though why extras had to do a dramatic reading was beyond her.

All too soon an excited buzz filled the air and as Gabriella looked down at her watch she noticed it was time. The doors were opening and the line began to move. She clutched the envelope containing her resume and headshot in her slightly sweaty palms and shuffled forward with the others, until slowly almost imperceptibly they reached the door.

A harassed looking Hispanic woman stood there holding a pen and clipboard

"Name" she barked not even looking up at them.

"Kelsi Nielson and Gabriella Montez" Kelsi replied with a dazzling smile.

The woman's head snapped up so suddenly that Gabriella wondered if she hadn't given herself whiplash, now they had her full attention. She looked at them through narrowed eyes for a second before pursing her lips and scanning the list she held "Montez, Montez, Montez…aha Gabriella Montez?"

Gabriella nodded timidly "That's me"

"Right we've been waiting for you…. didn't you get the email? Anyway it's too late now…. down the corridor and first on the left" she turned her attention to Kelsi "You, first on the right…. Next" she bellowed barely sparing them another glance and then ushered them along hurriedly.

Gabriella blinked dazedly, what had all that been about, she wondered as she followed Kelsi down the empty hall.

"Why are they separating us?" she mumbled, as they came to a stop in front of opposing doors.

Kelsi shrugged, unconcerned "Could be lots of reasons, maybe they want us for different scenes, maybe it's because you're stunning and Troy Bolton spotted you in the crowd and wants you for his love slave" Kelsi giggled

Gabriella rolled her eyes at her friend "Hmm… that's likely"

"Don't worry about it Gab, I'll just catch up with you later…text me when you're done?"

Gabriella nodded and watched as Kelsi pushed open the door. She just had chance to see a large group of girls, sat around on the floor, before the door swung shut. Wishing she wasn't alone, she took a deep breath and pushed open the door and peeked inside, expecting to see hundreds of girls. Instead there were only four, sat in silence in various chairs around the room. They looked up as she entered, all staring at her.

"Can we help you?" a snotty voice enquired, it was the voluptuous blond with the jean skirt. Up close, Gabriella could see she wore far too much makeup to disguise her bad skin.

"I'm Gabriella Montez, I'm here for the audition," she said softly, stepping into the room, allowing the door to close behind her.

"Oh" she replied and looked her up and down, obviously sizing up her competition.

She took a seat next to an oriental looking girl with long dark hair and a friendly smile.

"You nervous?" she asked

Gabriella gave a wry smile "Is it that obvious?"

The girl laughed "Only to those who know…. I always think call backs are more nerve wracking than the first call…were you at the LA audition?"

Gabriella shook her head, confused.

"Oh, when did you do your first audition?"

"Now" Gabriella replied quietly, looking at the white ballet pumps she wore.

"No I mean the call, your first one,"

"This is my first audition"

Four pairs of eyes all turned on Gabriella, as they stared at her incredulous.

"What do you mean this is your first audition…didn't your agent explain this is a call back" the blond said, talking to her as though she were a child.

"I don't have an agent," she said looking around her, panic fluttering inside her" I think there has been some mistake"

The blond nodded, looking venomously at Gabriella "Too right there has, this is a call back for the role of Mia and Mya"

Gabriella's eyes widened "Then I'm definitely in the wrong place" she got to her feet just as the door opened and Chris stepped into the room.

Carrying a clipboard he also had a slightly harassed look and Gabriella sensed this was commonplace. She had only been in the building five minutes and she already felt exactly the same. He smiled warmly when he saw her, "Gabriella, great you made it, we can make a start"

"I think there has been a mix up, some sort of mistake," she said hesitantly

He shook his head at her, trying to reassure her "No, there's been no mistake…ladies if you would follow me then we can begin"

"But-" she tried again, her protests pushed aside as the girls stood up and filled from the room, the blond at the front, Gabriella trailing at the back, her head spinning.

What did they mean a call back for the role of Mia and Mya? Did extras get speaking parts? Maybe this was a minor role, after all that would explain why there were only a few people going for it. As she followed the group down the hall, nerves fluttered in her tummy making her feel sick. Did she even want a speaking part? Her mom had said she could try out as an extra but auditioning for a speaking part? Would she approve?

In any case it was too late to back out now, she thought, as they strolled into the convention center ballroom.

Gabriella's attention was drawn immediately to a panel of four people sat behind a table, all watching as they stepped into the room, all making notes. Gabriella was aware she was being scrutinized and her nerves increased, with a strong sense of unreality she took a seat and waited to see what would happen next.

"Ladies" Chris turned to them with a smile "I would like to introduce you to the producer of Fame Academy Brendan Norton, our director Joe Quinn, our assistant choreographer Mr. Ryan Evens and our script supervisor Dylan Raine"

As Chris introduced them one by one, they each gave a nod and smile in greeting, still furiously writing notes, taking in every detail of their appearance. Gabriella suddenly had an inkling of how it felt to be a specimen under a microscope.

"So if you could hand me your resume and head shots when I call you up…this morning we will run through your prepared pieces and then take a quick break, after which we'll want you to do a cold reading. We will then break for lunch but only three of you will be called back" he looked at them, watching their reactions as he said "After lunch, those of you who are successful will be involved in a screen test with a member of our existing cast"

Gabriella didn't have a clue what a cold reading or a screen test was and looked around in panic as the other girls nodded and smiled at each other, excitement easy to see on their faces. Her heart thumped heavily and her stomach was knotted with nerves, how could she get through this? It was too much, for a second she thought about just getting up and walking out but the fact she was in front of a panel stopped her, she didn't want to embarrass herself.

She turned her attention to the middle of the room as one by one the girls began their audition pieces. They were all good, Gabriella had a sinking feeling and she felt as though she were in over her head. As the auditions passed Gabriella could feel her butterflies getting worse, her heart was pounding and her palms sweating. In a few moments she would have to go up there in front of those professionals and perform the pop song and speech from the movie she had chosen. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

Well, she thought to herself as her name was called, she wasn't going to get the part, as she was very inexperienced and under prepared but she may as well make the best of the experience. Sucking in a deep breath she stood up and walked to the center of the room, her legs shaking all the way.

She smiled wanly at the panel, who were all frowning, probably thinking how young and innocent she looked, kind of as though she didn't have a clue.

"In your own time Gabriella" Chris said with a smile.

Playing nervously with her fingers Gabriella began to sing a verse and a chorus of "Tear Drops on my guitar", her voice shaking a little as she began. She forced herself to pronounce all her words clearly and not to rush through, as she wanted to. She tried to remember the advice given to her by Ms Darbus, not to fiddle, to lift her chin up when she sang and to try and feel the emotion of what she was singing. Her voice sounded nervous even to her own ears and she just prayed that she wouldn't make a total fool of herself. As she sang the last note, she glanced over at Sarah who held up a thumb, and Gabriella felt relief flood over her, at least she hadn't made a mess of it. Gathering herself for a few seconds she began to recite the monologue she had chosen from her favorite movie, Dirty Dancing.

She'd chosen it based on Ms Darbus advice, to work with something you can relate to and after the emotional discussion with her mom it seemed like the right choice. Gabriella could feel tears welling in her eyes as she thought about how she like the character "Baby" had let her parent down, and her entire body language changed. Her eyes sparkled with tears, her hands coming out in supplication, wanting everyone to understand how sorry she was. She forgot about the people in the room watching her, all she could focus on was the meanings behind the words, the pain and emotion in her voice clear, as it rang across the ballroom.

It was as though nobody else existed for that minute and as she uttered the last few words, a lone tear escaped from her eye and trickled down her check. She stopped just short of a sob escaping and self-consciously wiped at her cheeks as she came back into herself. There was a long silence before Chris nodded and said

"Thank you Gabriella…okay everyone lets take thirty"

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Gabriella collected her purse and wiped her cheeks with a tissue, feeling silly and emotional, she must look so gauche. She saw nothing of Kelsi during her break, she talked with one of the other girls, Sarah and they speculated who in the cast would be taking part in the screen test. Gabriella told her about her conversation with Chris and Kelsi at East High and that Troy Bolton wouldn't be attending, much to her dismay. Sarah confessed she was more of a Chad Danforth fan. They discussed what they thought the movie was going to be about and the other girls audition pieces, Gabriella had a feeling she wasn't going to get past the cold reading stage but she really hoped Sarah got the part. If nothing else came of this then at least she could take away the fact she had an audition as an extra in the hottest movie franchise in a decade.

Upon her return to the ballroom, they were told the background to the script.

"So I will play Mya and you will each play Mia, basically this is a telephone conversation that takes place after Mya has persuaded Mia to pretend to be her, remember Mia is very quiet, she doesn't like to cause tension or upset, she'd going along with the plan because she loves her twin even though she hates to perform and is struggling at James" Chris told them, Gabriella tried to take it all in, sure it was to be important in her delivery.

"I thought since Gabriella went last, she would maybe like to go first this time" he turned to her with a grin "that okay with you Gabriella?"

She nodded before turning her attention back to the script as the others took their seats, scanning it, trying to make it easier to read by becoming familiar with it.

Gabriella moved in front of the panel again, who watched her with interested eyes. She sucked in a breath; trying to remember what other tips Ms Darbus had given her. A thought popped into her head, did Ms Darbus know that Gabriella was going to be put forward for a speaking role? Following the conversation with her mother somehow she thought so.

"In your own time Gabriella"

"Mya, it's me, we need to talk," she read, making her voice quiet and timid.

"Mia not now, I haven't got time Justin will be here any minute for our date"

"Mya, I think they know I'm not you, there's this guy-"

"Oh a guy, cute is he?"

"Mya are you listening to me?" she asked injecting a note of exasperation into her voice "I think he knows-"

"How could he know, surely even you can manage to sing a few lines in key and throw a few dance moves together, you know you're not too bad when you give it a go"

"Thanks really," she said sarcastically "but he's on to me I'm sure he is, he keeps asking me loads of questions about what school productions I've been in and what I wanna do when I leave James…I can't do this Mya, I can't I'm sure he knows" she read, making her voice panicked and breathy

"He'd better not know, or we'll both be in trouble…come on Mia please do this for me, it won't be for much longer"

"But there's this showcase coming up and I cant do it, I can't get the steps, I can't get the lyrics Mya, this isn't me, it's too hard let me come home" she pleaded plaintively

"Mia you've got to pull yourself together, it's only for a little while longer…think how much trouble you will be in if we are found out"

"Not if we stop this now, please Mya?"

"Mia, I've got to go…I'll speak to you later"

"Mya? Mya are you there" she read tearfully.

"And we'll leave it there, thank you Gabriella" Chris said, throwing her a big smile. Gabriella returned it weakly, as she made her way to her seat. She felt proud of herself but felt so drained, being in a constant state of nervousness was exhausting.

She observed the other girls performances with an amateurs eyes, she didn't know much about what she saw but she knew they were all far more experienced. There were moments when she thought, I wouldn't do it like that or it should be done this way but apart from that she couldn't really comment. As lunch drew closer Gabriella became more and more fraught, knowing that only three of them would be called back to take part in a screen test. Half of her knew that she wouldn't be called back as she had no real experience but the other half hoped for a miracle. She held her breath subconsciously as Chris made the announcement.

"Ladies, you've all done so well but at this stage we feel we can only take three of you forward to do the screen test….Jamie Leigh, we'll see you after lunch, Sarah, you too and lastly Gabriella"

Gabriella jumped a little, shocked by the news but overwhelmed at the same time. She was going to be in the final three! She was one step closer to being in fame academy and maybe seeing Troy Bolton in the flesh. As Chris dismissed them for lunch she took out her phone and sent Kelsi a quick text, telling her what was going on. She would be meeting a Fame Academy cast member very soon!. She knew she had to play it cool, not overreact, be professional, and act as though she met movie stars every day but she was worried she would freeze. Acting this morning had come so naturally to her, the script had done most of the work; all she had to do was give it a voice. But to do it again when someone more experienced was with her, when a professional, a famous professional at that, was watching over her, she didn't know if she could pull it off. Faced with self-doubt Gabriella began to panic, just a little to but enough to give her second and third thoughts. Could she really do this? Could she really go through this? She was about to find out!


	4. Screen Test

**Another chapter up and running…at last we get to meet Troy. Like I said at the start this story is going to be a little slower paced than the others but everything I write is relevant so please give it a chance. Btw Italics are used to show Joe's directions to Gabriella… Let me know what you think. Love Tink. xxx**

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Less than an hour later Gabriella found herself stood nervously in the center of the ballroom with Chris and the rest of the panel. In one corner of the room was the largest camera Gabriella had ever seen and she found it impossible to take her eyes off it.

"Okay so Gabriella, all we really want you to do is read through the script and ignore the camera as much as possible unless you are directed to look into it…Pretend it isn't there…Joe might give you some direction but don't acknowledge it, just do it" Chris said as he handed the script to her.

"We already know you can act and sing, all we're really looking to do is see how you look on camera, see how well you would fit in with our existing cast so with that in mind we have asked Troy Bolton to join us…now in this scene-"

Gabriella froze as she heard the name Troy Bolton and nothing more, she knew Chris was still talking but she didn't have a clue what he was saying, total panic had set in. Her heart was racing and her entire body had begun to tremble. Troy Bolton. Troy Bolton, coming here. Troy Bolton was coming to act, with her. The Troy Bolton! She was going to meet Troy Bolton! The words resounded over and over again in her head. She felt breathless with excitement and fear all at the same time.

From his position at the back of the ball room Troy had been able to surreptitiously observe the girl the crew were all raving about. Gabriella Montez, they had said her name was. Perfect for the role of the new girl Mya/Mia. After meeting the other two, she was not at all what he had expected. She was as different from them as night from day. She looked so young and she projected such an aura of innocence that he swore he could feel it clear across the room. She was beautiful in an almost child like way, a petite, slender girl with long flowing ebony curls, a stark contrast in her white sundress, which she fiddled with nervously as she listened to Chris talk. Her head tilted slightly to one side as she concentrated on what he told her, he half expected her to begin to take notes, such was her earnest look of concentration. And she was nervous, hell not just nervous but terrified and right about now she looked petrified, as she suddenly began to glance about her, as though someone was about to appear out of thin air beside her.

Bingo, she'd been told of his arrival. He spotted it every time, the glances, the shakes, the tell tale trembling of the fingers and the deer in headlights wide-eyed stares. He pasted on his fan smile and waited to be called.

"Troy?" Chris called out to him "Why don't you come on over and make a start?"

Troy stood up and strolled across the room with a grace that usually took girls breath away. As he got closer and closer to the "child" he suspected would end up being his co star, she seemed to try and shrink away. He could see she was uncomfortable by the way she ducked her head and shot nervous glances at him, breathing deeply though her mouth as though she could not get enough air into her lungs. Her arms were folded against her chest and she toyed with her fingers, twisting them. He got the distinct impression she was suddenly thinking about running, her body poised almost as if for flight.

Gabriella watched as he approached and prayed she wouldn't hyperventilate or pass out as he moved towards her. Dressed in dark blue jeans and a tight fitting white t-shirt under a gray hoodie, he was every teenage girls fantasy come to life. His usually perfect chestnut hair was unruly and messy as though he had raked his fingers through it recently. And his eyes, oh his eyes, the deepest blue she had ever seen. Gabriella truly thought her heart would stop when he smiled at her in welcome as he stood before her.

She stared up at him her eyes going wide as she took in the fact Troy Bolton was stood before her in the flesh. Her heart thudded in her chest and she felt a little dizzy. This close she could see the beginnings of a five o clock shadow on his jaw, stubble, he had stubble! She felt a little faint. The Troy Bolton/Brody Kaye character, he presented in public, was always impeccably dressed and clean-shaven, like the teenager he portrayed. Now he looked every inch like the man he had grown up to become.

"Hi I'm Troy-"

"-Bolton" she blurted loudly, her cheeks staining a red, as she clapped a hand over her mouth, comically, aghast at what she had said.

His sandy eyebrow quirked sexily and he politely bit back a grin "yeah and you are?"

"Gabriella, Gabriella Montez" she half squeaked, half stuttered, feeling like an idiot.

He grinned this time, showing a perfect set of gleaming white teeth and it nearly knocked her on her backside "Well Gabriella, Gabriella, it's nice to meet you"

Troy was used to this reaction from girls of any age and he usually smiled politely but was always faintly bored by it. For some reason though Gabriella's reaction struck him as absurdly cute. Up close she was older than she initially looked and his first impression had been wrong. She wasn't beautiful, she was stunning. He could make out the slight oval tilt of her large golden brown eyes, the delicate angles of her high cheekbones, the cute upturn of her nose and the fullness of her bee stung lips. Though an aura of innocence surrounded her, she looked as beautiful and as untouchable as any Hollywood leading lady. He hid a curse, it was a damn shame she was a star struck minor because she interested him. The second her heard her soft voice, he'd felt a familiar ache kick in his gut, a twisting of attraction he couldn't deny.

Gabriella found she couldn't stop staring at him, he was perfection personified, he really was beautiful, from the tips of his sooty lashes down to the soles of his feet, he was p-e-r-f-e-c-t! She knew she looked like a gawking idiot but she honestly couldn't help herself. Forcing her eyes from raking over him she looked at Joe as he began to speak

"So guys, in this scene Mia is really struggling with the choreography, they are frustrated and they argue, nearly giving away her secret that she is not Mya she is Mia….Gabriella I want to see frustration, at yourself, at Troy, get angry, use your body language, your face, don't just say your lines, feel them" he told her and she nodded attentively, yet still hyper aware of Troy stood only feet from her. She could almost feel the heat from his body.

As Joe delivered his direction to her, Troy watched her from the corner of his eye as she listened to what he said. Her entire posture changed and gone was the shy, embarrassed, star struck teenager in her place an attentive and confidant young woman. The contrast was interesting. He let his eyes rake lazily down her body, resting on the curves accentuated by her innocent yet flirty dress. If it wasn't for the fact he knew that this was a screen test, he would have sworn that she had already visited hair and makeup, she looked just as Mia Cortez was described to him. Innocent. Untouchable. Young. Trouble!

Gabriella could feel his eyes on her and heart beat doubled again in response to his silent scrutiny. Was he trying to figure out if she was any good? She desperately wanted to look back at him confidently, to show him she could be professional and do a good job but she was so scared of what she would see in his face that she didn't dare. Her entire body felt suddenly alive, vibrating with excitement and she knew she only had one chance to prove to them all what she could do. Goose flesh sprung up on her arms.

"Troy, Gabriella if you could take your mark" Joe said and Gabriella moved into position, stood only inches away from Troy Bolton. He was so close she could smell his cologne and her senses reeled, it was all she could do to keep her breath. It was something fresh and cool and something else, something unique to Troy. She forced herself to take several slow deep breaths trying to calm down; she didn't want to screw this up. She made herself look at Troy, testing to see if her heartbeat went mental, it did and she hid a sigh.

He was stood with his hands stuffed in his back pockets and his head skyward, as though looking for inspiration from the huge glittering chandelier above them.

As if sensing her gaze he slowly lowered his eyes to hers and smiled. Her heart beat triple time and she returned it with a wobbly nervous one of her own, feeling as though she wanted to vomit.

"And mark…roll camera" Joe said

"Rolling" the cameraman, replied in a gruff voice.

"Action"

"Why is this so hard for you Mya?"

Gabriella put her hands on her hips and sighed deeply "because it's you Brody…you're not helping the situation, when I tell you I can't do something you ignore me and carry on anyway"

"There's only three weeks left until the showcase we have to practice Mya"

"_Gabriella, shake your head, you are frustrated, you're angry with him," _Joe said to her and she complied.

"There's no point I can't do it, you need to ask for a new partner"

"Good Gabriella, now turn and walk away"

Her eyes down she did, nearly jumping out of her skin when she felt Troy grab her wrist and spin her back to face him, pulling her against him. Her skin was singed where he touched her and she saw spots.

"Why are you even here? Why did you come to James, you must have passed the audition, so why can't you do what I ask?"

Gabriella froze on the spot, her heart pounding so hard in her chest she was convinced Troy must feel it and she stared up at him, feeling herself getting lost in his beautiful eyes, suddenly noticing that up close there were tiny flecks of green around his pupils, which dilated as she looked at him.

"That's great Gabriella, remember she's developing feelings for him, she's so confused, she's never felt this way before"

I know how she feels, thought Gabriella, as she blinked a little dazed, realizing they thought she was acting, not just lost in the presence of Troy Bolton.

"Brody, I can't do this with you, I'm not who you think I am" she read

"Mya why are you saying these things, I was there, I saw your audition, you were amazing, I know you can do this"

"Brody, you have to believe me I can't do this and I can't do the showcase"

"Yes you can! You just have to work harder, to try harder, we need more practice that's all"

"No we don't, dammit why won't you listen to me Brody! I can't do it!" she tugged against the arm he still held, his fingers burning into her skin. I will never wash this arm again, she vowed silently.

"You can and you will, there's a scout coming from Julliard and this will be my ticket to a free ride…I'm not letting some preppy new girl stop me"

"Fine embarrass us both, see if I care" she bit out tearily.

Troy looked down at her and moved one hand to cup her cheek, to make her look at him, caressing her cheeks as though wiping away tears he knew would have to be there during the scene. Gabriella couldn't suppress a shiver at the sudden zing of electricity that raced through her in reaction to his gentle caress and she looked up at him to see him frowning.

He was frowning, shocked at the current flowing through his fingers as he touched her cheek. Touching her had sparked something inside him that he didn't want to have to deal with, he was forgetting himself, it wasn't about him it was about Brody and Brody was supposed to smile as he wiped her tears not frown.

"You won't embarrass yourself Mya or me, you just have to trust me," he said not needing to try and make his voice husky.

"Trust you? I barely even like you" she murmured and watched his eyes drop to her lips and then back again. There was a long pause as their eyes held, Troy stared down at her, thinking she was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen yet she was so innocent, so naive, so young, and soo complicated.

Gabriella felt her knees grow weak and she bit her lip nervously as she continued to stare into the eyes of one of the sexiest actors in the world. She felt as though she were drowning in their depths, as they darkened to an almost blue black.

Troy watched as she worried her bottom lip and he had the urge to soothe it with his tongue, just to take a little taste, to see if she tasted as sweet and innocent as she looked. His blood raced in his veins and he knew he would do anything for a taste of her softness. Beg. Plead. Pray.

Gabriella had to remind herself that he was just acting as he lowered his head towards hers, his breathing quickening. He held himself there, so close to her she could feel the heat of his breath against her lips, as he paused the almost kiss. She had the urge to lift her head the last few inches and touch her mouth to his, just to kiss him, once, to alleviate the squirmy feeling in the pit of her stomach caused by his closeness.

"And cut, wrap it" Joe's voice intruded and Troy snapped his eyes away from hers, releasing her and stepping away quickly as though burned. She blinked a little dazed as Joe came to stand beside her and loop an arm over her shoulder.

"That was great Gabriella, good job" he smiled at her. "Good improv at the end Troy with the kiss"

Troy nodded at Joe, who sent him a knowing smirk and then turned and walked away, without even saying goodbye. Gabriella felt suddenly deflated as though all the light had gone from the room, he hadn't even acknowledged her; he'd just walked away.

* * *

Troy strode quickly across the ballroom, unable to believe what had just happened, he had nearly made one of the worst mistakes of his career. He had almost given in to his body's urging and kissed her, a fan. It was wrong, very wrong, she was a minor, too young for him and yet his body had given him a message loud and clear, he felt something when she touched her, a stirring inside him that he knew wasn't good.

He had always been in control of himself and any relationships he'd had were secret and usually very brief, he was fussy about who got close to him and past his defenses. Now here was this woman-child and within only a few minutes of knowing her, he'd felt one of the most powerful tugs of attraction he'd ever experienced. So powerful he had almost forgotten himself in the heat of the moment and kissed her, his body still throbbing painfully from being denied.

She was a minor he reminded himself again, a star struck fan, he was twenty-two and a celebrity. Christ! The media would love that, Troy Bolton in underage love affair; he could just the headlines now! Not to mention the fact he was probably gonna be working with her so he had to ignore any reaction he had to her, treat her like a child, remind himself she was a underage.

He did not want to cross the barrier he had erected for himself, no dating co-workers or fans. He realized it didn't leave him with a lot of other options but he wanted that barrier, needed that barrier and this encounter had just proven why. She didn't even know him, the real him, the one that loved to play Xbox and shoot hoops, the one that loved to sleep late but rarely got the chance, the one who just wanted to chill with his friends instead of attending show biz events. She only knew Brody Kaye and his character, not the private basketball mad guy he was at home with his family.

He needed a drink, he thought to himself as he headed to the back exit, meeting up with his burly security guards on route, smiling grimly at them as they followed him from the building and into the waiting car. It been had been a long afternoon and now he was tense and uncomfortable, he didn't like the reaction she had stirred in him, she was still a teenager for gods sake! Troy knew that there was a very strong possibility that Gabriella would get the role, although the most inexperienced of the three she was the producers vision of Mia/Mya, she looked as if she had stepped from the pages of the script, innocent, fresh and young. Zefron Pictures had always been good at spotting new talent and making them into stars, hell they'd done that with him.

He had to admit she was a natural and had needed very little direction, how much of that was instinctual and how much was luck he couldn't have said. Although the other girls were good, they didn't look right for the part, he couldn't imagine them playing innocent, put upon teenagers especially not when it appeared Gabriella herself was one. He expected the call to confirm his suspicions by the end of the night and he already knew they had on screen chemistry, just what Joe would look for. How much Gabriella understood about that he didn't know but again he guessed very little. She was so naive and green that if she wasn't careful she could be eaten alive by both the industry and the media. Joe and Chris were good guys, they had given him his first break and transformed him from average Joe Jock to the Household name, which women all over the world went crazy for. They would see her okay, protect her interests. Whether she knew it or not she more or less had the role in the bag, but for Troy didn't know whether to whoop or weep. Things were about to get very interesting.

* * *

Gabriella was still brooding over encounter with Troy Bolton as she sat alone in one of the many offices in the convention center. In the hour that had passed since her audition she had the chance to replay her scene over and over in her head, it had been like a dream. It had felt so right, so natural, that it was almost as if she didn't have to act at all. At the start she had been terrified unable to see past Troy Bolton stood before her but after a few minutes, she didn't see him, she saw Brody Kaye, the character she knew from Fame Academy.

She thought it had gone well but then he had simply walked away without a word to anyone, had she done something wrong? Had she annoyed him in some way? Had he thought she was really bad and didn't want to offend her by telling her that, so he had chosen to say nothing at all? Whatever the reason Gabriella was a hurt by his behavior but then he was the world famous Troy Bolton, she supposed he could do what he wanted. Glancing at her watch she saw it was close to dinnertime and she was starting to get hungry, with her nerves she had not eaten all day.

The door opened and she looked up as Chris and Joe entered each carrying a bundle of papers. They took a seat across from her with obvious relief, and there was silence for a moment before Chris spoke.

"Gabriella, thank you for coming today. Firstly I want to apologize for keeping you in the dark about the role for which you were auditioning, I gathered from your drama teacher that you were shy and I thought that if I told you I wanted to cast you for one of the leads you wouldn't come…I didn't want you to second guess yourself, to over prepare….anyway it's taken us a long time to make the decision and it was a close thing…. In the end we had to go with the girl who was right for the character of Mia and the screen test helped us see that" he said gently, looking at her with a smile.

Gabriella knew what he was going to say, the thank you for coming but maybe next time speech and she nodded, a surge of disappointment welling in her, so strong that it brought sheen of tears to her eyes. She hadn't realized how much she had wanted this part until this second, the second she had known she wasn't going to get it.

"So Gabriella if you would like it, we want to offer you the part of Mia/Mya" he finished with a grin.

Gabriella's mouth dropped comically, had she just been offered the part? Had she misheard him?

"So what do you think?" he prodded after a minute of her just staring at him.

"Me?" she squeaked, "You want me, but I'm a nobody"

"And that's exactly why we want you. …You're an unknown quantity" Joe said eagerly "We were looking for someone young and fresh and raw, somebody new and that's what we found in you…Chris told me the day he heard you sing that he had found Mia and after seeing you this afternoon on camera with Troy, I have to admit he was right…we want you for this movie Gabriella, what do you say?"

Gabriella's mind whirled, she wanted to say yes desperately but the only thing she could think of to say was,

"I'll have to ask my mom, it will mean missing a lot of school" she blurted, then looked embarrassed to be saying something so child like.

Chris nodded "To be honest Gabriella I expected this reaction and I asked Ms Darbus to sound your mom out on this one when she spoke to her. Your mom knew the role you were up for and she also realized that it would fund your entire college career… I think if it's handled correctly your mom will have no objections…the first things you need to do are these" he handed her two cards "You need to call Mike, she's one of the best agents out there, you need representation now…the other one is Alistair Morton, he's an attorney, you'll need to give them both a copy of this contract and go through it with them…we've given them a heads up and they are expecting you and your mom this evening….we can give you the weekend to think this over but after that we need to know….we have a production schedule to keep to….and Gabriella I must ask you not to tell anyone about his until all contracts are signed and sealed, especially not the media…we are very protective about FA and we don't like leaks" he said with a stern look.

Gabriella nodded trying to take it all in, at once, she had so many questions whirling about in her head, how long would it take, what about her school work, would she have to give interviews, what should she wear? How much would they pay her? She didn't know where to start. Would her life change?

"Can I call my mom and come have her pick me up, so we can discuss it?"

He nodded and handed her his cell phone, watching as she made a quick call. She seemed shaken but calm and Chris knew it was a good sign, she was sensible girl, and would make the right choices.

"Are there any questions you would like to ask us?" Joe asked her kindly as she ended the call.

"Hundreds" she admitted with a wry smile " But I really don't know where I should start" she paused for long seconds "I guess I really want to know what sort of impact this will have on my education"

"As your still in high school, we will get you a tutor, your class teachers can set the work and every day on set you will have three hours of coaching…we can deal with any problems as they arise, but I do have to tell you that it's a lot of hard work Gabriella, early starts, late finishes and then school work too"

She nodded "Okay, what about the media? What happens when they find out?"

"We'll appoint a publicist and between them and your agent they will handle it all, you'll be coached, what to say what to do, that sort of thing…you'll also need a stylist but we can organize that for you" he paused looking at the bemused young woman before him and decided to level with her,

"You do realize that there will be a lot of traveling involved too, not only between here and the studio in LA but also promotional tours, all over the world…Your life will change beyond compare Gabriella in the next few months, you will find yourself questioning every move you make, wondering how you will perceived…it's long hours, hard work and a lot of public scrutiny"

Gabriella paled a little at the thought and sighed loudly.

"We're only telling you this Gabriella, so you can be prepared and make an informed choice…. we're offering you the chance to be famous, be a household name along side Troy Bolton but it all comes with a price, there will be stipulations in your contract, people you once thought were friends will sell stories about you, if they can't find any, the media will make them up, any relationships you have will be criticized and analyzed, any boyfriends researched and vetted"

She swallowed slightly, wondering what was the right thing to do. She wanted this so badly but at what price. Was she happy as she was? Did she want her life to change? She did, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and she couldn't turn it down. She would spend the rest of her life wondering, what if?

"I want to do this" she said quietly, confidently with a nod.

Chris and Joe exchanged smiles " We hoped you would…. the most important thing is to get in touch with Mike and Alistair and have them check the contracts…anything you, your mom or they don't agree with, we'll need to discuss"

Gabriella felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, seconds before the theme tune from the second Fame Academy movie floated into the air. She blushed as she retrieved her phone

"So you're quite a fan then?" Joe asked with a grin, as Gabriella nodded and blushed some more.

"Hey Mom, I'll be down in a second, 'kay, bye" she murmured.

"Don't be embarrassed about being a fan Gabriella, if anything it will be to your advantage, the press always love to ask if you were a fan before you got the role and a genuine fan, with genuine knowledge will be a boost for you, all positive publicity is good publicity, remember that"

She nodded "So will I speak you to both soon? How do I contact you?"

"Mike has our numbers, come on we'll walk down with you"

As Gabriella left the building she was hit with a sense of unreality. She had just been offered a lead role in one the most popular teen movie franchises ever! She, Gabriella Montez would be joining the cast of her favorite movie! She wanted to pinch herself in case she was dreaming but she didn't dare. Kelsi would flip a shit when she found out and she couldn't wait to see her reaction. Her mother was a different story. Her mom was parked close by and after saying goodbye to Joe and Chris she climbed wearily into the car.

"Have a good time hija?" she asked looking at the subdued girl, who looked a little pale and tired.

Gabriella nodded, staring dazedly into space.

"Well, how did it go" when Gabriella didn't reply, she took that as an answer and hugged on arm around her daughter "I know you must be disappointed but remember Gabriella this was only a one off for you, all the other girls would have had a lot more experience, so please don't be too upset you didn't get it" her mother said softly as they drove off, looking at her quiet, still daughter.

"I got it Mamai," she said softly, if slightly hysterically.

"You what?"

"I got it, they offered me the role and it's a lead role Mamai"

"Oh Gabriella, I don't know what to say"

"Say that you're proud of me, say that I can do it," she pleaded, looking at her mother with wide eyes.

"Of course I'm proud of Gabriella, but is this really what you want to do?"

Gabriella nodded "It is, you know how when I do a math equation and I get it right and it just fits, and the feeling I get is amazing…well it's the same with this, it just fits mamai, it works"

"But honey there is a _lot_ of work involved here, you'd have to miss school and travel and be away from home, from me, from your friends for such a long time….are you really prepared for that?"

Gabriella shook her head "Not yet but I will be…I've talked to Chris and Joe about this and they've warned me, it's hard work, long hours and invasions of privacy but I still wanna do it…the feeling I get when I act, well it's addictive mamai"

"Gabriella" her mother reproved

"It is Mamai, and I'm good, it works," she said simply. "They have given me the numbers of an agent and attorney and I'd like to go visit them, will you take me?"

Her mother looked at her for long silent seconds and then sighed, "Is this really what you want to do?"

"It is Mamai, tell me I have your blessing"

"You have my blessing but also my warning…just be careful Gabriella, keep your eyes open and your wits about you, you're a smart girl and I would hate to see that change all because of some movie"

"Thank you Mamai" she rushed out, clutching her mom's free hand as she drove, grateful that she could talk to her, high on the adrenline rush. It was a feeling Gabriella loved and would come to crave. She had her rushes.


	5. I'm Brie

**Hi all, remember me…First off apologies for my absence, my computer completely freaked out on me and refused to be mended and then, well then I kind of got lost in Forks. I still haven't quite found my way out but the path is getting clearer all the time, so don't worry folks I will update much quicker now. I would like to dedicate this chapter to Ange for keeping me constantly updated on Zac's antics while I was technologically deprived- hopefully shouldn't have that problemo any more…Anyway on with the show. Love Tink. xxxxxxxxxxx**

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Gabriella stared unhappily out of the window of the plush private jet she found herself on less than a fortnight later. Tears rolled slowly down her cheeks as she contemplated her immediate future, she was off on the start of her big adventure _but _she was doing it alone. Ten minutes ago she had bade a tearful farewell to her mom and Kelsi and was now waiting for the plane to begin to move.

She thought back to the chaotic last few weeks and was surprised she had accomplished so much in such a short time. Her agent, stylist and publicist had been hired, as well as an entourage for hair and make up. She had signed contracts stipulating that she would not engage in any activity that would result in any negative publicity, when she enquired about this she was told it was for her own protection. Still unsure she found herself blushing when her agent explain it meant things such as making out in public, drinking or taking drugs, being photographed leaving nightclubs drunk or anything else that wasn't wholesome family entertainment.

She'd endured a make over, her stylists embracing the feminine girly style she favored but giving it a more modern twist, bringing out the warm tones in her hair, emphasizing the subtle waves and curls. Gabriella couldn't help but admit she looked better and now every inch the up and coming young star she wanted to be. But for all that there was a down side. She would be leaving her friends and her mom, for many months and although Gabriella accepted this price, she was ill prepared for the pain it caused her, hence the tears now.

Gabriella couldn't decide if it was fear or sadness, which caused the tears to fall. She had a fear of flying. Suddenly this didn't seem like a good idea and she toyed with the idea of getting of the plane, running to her mom and asking her to take her back to her safe little world of East High. She sucked in a shuddering breath, trying to get herself under control so that the attendants didn't think she was a total fool. You can do this, Gabriella, she told herself, around another batch of tears as she blew her noise nosily on a tissue; the make up she had applied so carefully only a little while ago now ruined. Although the flight to LAX was only a little over an hour Gabriella knew she would feel every second of it. She looked unhappily out of the window, wanting to distract herself. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of a familiar figure crossing the tarmac and her heart began to thump heavily in her chest.

It was Troy, heading quickly towards the plane! She watched as he climbed the steps and then she heard his footfalls as he reached the top. Scant seconds later he appeared in the doorway. Gabriella's eyes ate him up, he wearing a pair of low slung cargo pants and another v neck t-shirt, blue this time, making the vivid color of his eyes pop. She fought not to faint dead away, when smiled his trademark smile as he saw her and crossed the plane to sit beside her. Her heart pounded and she silently chastised herself. She was supposed to getting over this silly infatuation she had with him. She had to see him as an equal, to relax around him for this to work. Any hesitation or distant would translate on camera and the movie would not work.

She hastily scrubbed at her cheeks with her damp tissue in an effort to disguise the fact she had been crying as he stowed his bag and settled his long, large body, next to her.

"Hi Gabriella, Gabriella" he joked, turning to look at her properly for the first time since getting on the plane.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she blurted the first thought that came into her head.

"And it's very nice to see you too, glad you got the part and not one of those other unfriendly girls" he teased as she flushed, embarrassed by her candid response.

"I'm sorry, I meant I thought that you would have gone back to LA already" she said softly, apologetically.

"Didn't Chris tell you I was traveling back with you? Brendan thinks we should get to know one another, thinks it will look more natural when we come to film"

"Oh" she replied, unsure what to say, feeling awkward and embarrassed.

Troy studied her as she glanced out of the window, she looked different, still beautiful, yet more mature and not as child like. Her chocolate curls were shorter but still teased her face, highlighting her delicate features. Her cheeks were flushed, her nose red and her eyes watery, she had been crying and she was obviously still upset. He felt bad for her, he knew she was leaving behind all her friends and family to do this, and that for someone who had never been alone it would be hard. She was still a teenager after all.

He couldn't remember a time when he had felt alone. If anything he had the opposite problem and was never given the chance to be alone, there was always someone wanting something, wanting him.

Gabriella was mortified, mortified that he had seen her crying, mortified that she had reacted to strongly to his unexpected appearance, mortified that she was trapped on this plane with him and was most likely going to have a minor panic attack once this plane began to take off.

"So what d'ya say Gabriella, Gabriella, think we could be friends"

"With you?" it seemed she had no tact. Open foot, insert mouth.

"I'm a pretty cool guy once you get to know me"

"I know" she burst out "I mean I'm sure you are, but it's just a bit awkward"

He tilted his head and looked at her, his blue eyes fixed on hers "How so?"

"Well you're Troy Bolton," she sputtered

He nodded calmly, hid a bemused smile "So they tell me"

"And I'm just Gabriella Montez, I'm… a nobody" she said softly.

"Not for long, by the time Zefron have finished with you, you wont even recognize yourself"

"But then who will I be?"

"Public property" he replied bitterly and dropped his gaze from hers.

Gabriella stared out of the window, sensing his anger, his annoyance, confused by the sudden switch in personality. It seemed that she was seeing Troy Bolton as she knew him and then suddenly a much darker side would appear. One minute he wanted to make friends the next he seemed distant.

Outside the sky was darkening and the plane was slowly moving towards the runway. Gabriella felt her heart began to race, but for entirely different reasons than Troy's proximity. She forgot all about the fact she was sat next to Troy Bolton and was about to entirely change her life, all she could think about was the fact that she was trapped in this small metal container and would be thousands of feet about the ground.

She felt her breathing grow shallow and she wanted cry, her whole body suddenly tensing in the seat. She hated to fly, especially at night and although it was a short flight, it was the first she had taken without her mom. Suddenly her thoughts were filled with what if's? What if they crashed? What if there was an accident? What if she died? She would never have the chance to see her mom again, she would never be able to say goodbye, to tell her mom she loved her.

Troy looked at Gabriella, her face pale and her breathing ragged. Her entire body was taut with nerves and she looked ready to cry, her face betraying her fear.

"Hey are you okay?" he asked concerned.

Gabriella shook her head, her gaze transfixed on the now quickly moving scenery "I hate to fly" she confessed in a whisper, her voice thick with unshed tears.

He was still for a second and then placed a large hand, palm up on the armrest between them and wiggled his fingers. Gabriella looked down at his hand and then up to his face and back again. He wiggled his fingers once more in invitation.

"Are you kidding?" she asked around ragged gasps, her breathing growing more and more unstable, like a fish out of water sucking in air.

He raised an eyebrow "Would I? Take my hand, it helps I swear"

Gabriella drew in a breath, was Troy Bolton really offering to hold her hand? Hoping he wouldn't notice the slight trembling in her fingers, she slipped her hand into his. Sensations bombarded her. His skin felt so hot and slightly calloused against hers as his large hand engulfed hers. Her skin tingled where they touched and she felt breathless, a sensation which had nothing to do with her fear of flying and everything to do with being close to Troy. She was holding hands with Troy Bolton! She stared down at their joined hands and a strange sensation began curling in the pit of her stomach. His hand looked so large, so capable, so strong, yet held hers with a gentle firmness that made her feel more than a little weak.

Troy hadn't thought through the wisdom of offering her his hand, he had simply reacted instinctively to her distress. Now he had regretted it almost the second she had slipped her hand into his. Her hand was so small and soft and delicate where it rested in his. His own skin was burning where it touched hers yet it felt so right, so natural, so comfortable. And that in itself was wrong, as wrong as the powerful tug of attraction he felt towards her, a teenager. For someone so small she had a powerful grip, he mused as he looked down at their clasped hands. He could see her knuckles were white, her fingers still trembling.

There was silence as the plane climbed to it's correct altitude, Gabriella unable to talk, only focusing on breathing, unsure what to say, not wanting to break the contact between them. It felt amazingly right, amazingly normal in a surreal way to be sat alone in the half-light with Troy Bolton holding his hand.

Troy tried desperately not to notice how perfectly they fit together, like two halves of a jigsaw piece, as though they had been designed this way. He stamped quickly on the thought as it appeared, wondering how else they would fit together.

As a stewardess appeared with a flirty smile, Troy pulled his hand from under hers, releasing it as though stung and Gabriella felt bereft, confused.

"Can I get either of you anything?" she cooed as she bent over them, batting her eyelashes and displaying her generous cleavage to best advantage.

Gabriella shook her head, her stomach still in knots, which seemed to be a permanent thing these days. Troy ordered a soda and chips, smiling warmly at the woman, while Gabriella just stared at him. Just when she thought she was getting used to him, she would be reminded of who he was and what she was doing here with him and it all seemed too surreal.

She watched him as he twisted in his seat to undo his seat belt, fascinated by the play of muscles in his hands, the flex of his shoulders. The taut material of his shirt, emphasizing his biceps, the snug fit drawing attention to his chest as he moved, his shaggy brown hair brushing his collar and falling over one eye. Gabriella had never been so intrigued by anyone, fascinated by his smallest movement or gesture. She just couldn't stop staring at him.

"So Gabriella, Gabriella-" he began, turning his attention to her again, once they were alone.

"Do you have to call me that? My friends call me Gabi or Brie," she told him somewhat shyly.

"Brie" he tested, liking the way her name sounded on his tongue.

Gabriella felt a little tingle as he spoke, his deep voice making her name sound sexy and she gazed at him in open adoration.

Troy caught the look and wanted to wince, he knew that this was a possibility, he wasn't blind and had already guessed Gabriella had a crush on him. Lots of girls he came into contact with had crushes on him but for it to be a co-star, well that could make things pretty complicated between them, especially given the way he responded to her.

If it was the only thing he did right during this shoot, he couldn't let her know how she affected him, he may have inappropriate feelings towards her but that didn't mean he would have to act on them.

He had to sort things out, had to make her see he wasn't the guy she had a crush on, to make her understand she didn't even know him.

"Gabriella" he began again, his tone kind "I just want to you know, that if we are to work together, well you know that I can't get involved with anyone…. anyone at all…especially not someone from the cast…. You think you know me but you don't… I'm just an ordinary guy who's good at dicking about on camera…I play xbox and love to shoot hoops… I'm a pit monster who loves to sleep late and I snore, terribly…. I'm just Troy…if we are be co stars you need to get rid of any childish illusions you have about me right now…. you have to know nothing could ever happen between us" he finished, hating the look on her face, a mixture of embarrassment and devastation.

He hadn't wanted to do it like this but it needed to be said, she had to get over this love struck reaction she had to him otherwise this movie just wouldn't work.

Gabriella knew she was staring at him but she couldn't reply, she didn't know what to say to his little speech. She was mortified that she was so transparent and her crush on him was so obvious. Even worse was that he had talked about it, couldn't he just ignore it? She felt tears of shame burning at the back of her eyes and she blinked them away. Christ he must think she was such a crybaby.

"Gabriella, I'm sorry I had to bring this up, but it's better to get this over with now then later….I'm sure you're a great kid but you are still just a kid" he said gently, forcing himself to remember that fact.

Gabriella nodded and pasted on a wobbly smile, while inside she was dying.

"I know, but you can't blame me can you, you are Troy Bolton," she said with an attempt at humor, her forced smile fading as he shook his head gravely.

"That's just it, no I'm not…I'm just Troy" he held out a hand to her and she looked down at it blankly, confused.

"I'm Troy" he said again "I Love to play basket ball, I have one of the highest kill death ratios on Halo, I can't stand Mac and cheese despite what people think and I snore. Pleased to meet you, you are?"

Gabriella smiled slightly, more bemused than amused "Gabriella Montez, Future Stanford graduate, lover of math, science and English, freaky genius girl, who just so happens to be as good in front of a camera as I am in class…nice to meet you Troy"

He allowed a warm smile and it was all Gabriella could do not to melt into a puddle at his feet. But he was right she would have to get over this silly adolescent crush, she didn't know him at all, she just hoped that in time she it would wear off. It was for the best.

"Pleased to meet you Troy, I'm Brie" she smiled and this time it reached her eyes.


	6. Out!

**Hi again everyone…I just want to say a big thank you to those people who have stuck with this story despite my slow update rate, you guys keep me going!!! Also thanks for sharing your thoughts and sending me the love, reviews mean everything to me….so thanx again people!!!! I was thinking about changing the rating of this to an M for later chapters but was wondering what you guys think about it…If you have an opinion either way let me know and we'll just see what happens…Love Tink. XX**

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A little over an hour later Gabriella strolled casually into the terminal building watching Troy walk ahead of her, into the path of the waiting paparazzi. Her heart in her mouth she watched as Troy was lost in the frenzy of flashbulbs and a cacophony of cries " Troy, look here, Troy can you comment on the rumor you have a new co star, Troy what can you tell us about your relationship with Sharpay, Troy is it true you and Sharpay were caught having sex in a hotel pool last week"

The journalists followed him closely as he went, cameras thrust close in his face. Gabriella was horrified at what she was seeing, but even more horrified by some of the comments and questions shouted at him in the throng. His face was set, taut yet carefully devoid of any emotion as he ignored the seething mass around him. It seemed so disrespectful for complete strangers to be talking close up pictures, to be asking questions about his sex life, that Gabriella felt nauseous. As a fan she had always loved to see candid shots of Troy, little snippets of his life but now as she saw the way some of them were obtained and the complete lack of privacy and respect shown to him by some of the photographers she felt ashamed of herself. Was this what would happen to her? She wondered, was this her future?

She followed behind him, careful to keep her distance as warned; she contemplated what she was witnessing. She was furious on Troy's behalf that he was being treated so appallingly but he seemed to be taking it all in his stride. What worried her more than anything was the fact this seemed entirely normal to him and that one-day this would seem normal and acceptable to her too.

As Troy reached the exit of the building he noticed the waiting black Lexus and he turned slightly, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Gabriella was still nearby. One look at her pale face made him concerned, she looked tired, drawn, close to tears and worried. She was worried for him, he realized with a little start. Being used to the press and their intrusions he sometimes forgot the impact they could have on the unwary. Troy found it unusual that she would be more concerned for him than for herself, maybe it was just in her nature to be protective. He wanted to laugh at the idea he would need protecting. Instead he smiled slightly, trying to reassure her that it was okay, and felt a little better when she responded with a strained and wobbly smile of her own. It was a split second glance that no one should have seen but unfortunately for them, one of the more savvy paps had caught the little look between the two and immediately turned his lenses on her, snapping enthusiastically. Troy almost froze, unsure what to do, wondering if he should try and call the attention back on himself. By doing that it would almost certainly draw attention to the fact he was trying to _divert_ their attention. He was saved from making a decision as Mac one of his bodyguards stepped from the car and pushed past Troy, to get to Gabriella. With this, the rest of the press pack moved to swarm around Gabriella, all pointing their cameras at her, sensing a story.

Troy saw the smile vanish from her face and she looked stricken, confused, scared, like the child he had first met at the audition. He wanted to go to her to reassure her but knew in doing so he would only cause rumor and unwanted speculation. He stepped out of the door and into the waiting car, in a mere second, knowing she would safe with Mac. Why did he feel as though he was abandoning her, when all he was doing was trying to shield her? He settled against the leather with a sigh and watched from behind his dark glasses, waiting for Gabriella to join him as the engine purred into life.

Gabriella stared blankly ahead, moving towards the car, feeling the journalists around her pushing and shoving, aware of a hand at her elbow guiding her preventing anyone from getting too close.

"Say nothing" a voice hissed in her ear, though not unkindly.

She nodded, her heart racing as the intense scrutiny she'd witnessed now turned on her. She blinked rapidly, blinded by the glare of several flashbulbs, sensing rather than seeing Harry leading her to the Lexus. She got the open door, and climbed inside, one or two of the more ambitious photographers actually pointing their cameras into the car door for a few seconds, until at last it was closed, the dark tint on the windows offering some modicum of protection.

"You okay?" he asked from beside her, removing his glasses to look at her.

She nodded shakily, pressing her hands together to stop their trembling "I think so…is it always like that?"

He shrugged casually "sometimes…well you're out now"

"What do you mean?" she asked as the car pulled smoothly away from the curb.

"They've seen you…and with me…they'll want to know who you are" he said simply "I expect we'll be having a press junket sooner rather than later, they have kinda forced Zefron's hand"

"Do you ever get used to that?" she asked tremulously, feeling tired and over emotional

"Comes with the territory" he replied, sounding tired and Gabriella looked at him, for the first time noticing the strain on his handsome face.

"Well it shouldn't, just because you're you shouldn't give them the right to treat you like that, to say those horrible things"

"Like I said, it comes with the job" he sounded bitter this time.

Gabriella gnawed her bottom lip "I don't know how you handle it"

"You just do, you can and you will," he snapped roughly, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands.

Gabriella felt the tension in him, he seemed pissed, but she got the feeling it wasn't at her, yet he still seemed distant, the pleasant, gentle guy from the plane was gone, in his place a cold brooding stranger. She sat back against the cool leather of the seat and closed her eyes, trying to relax to subtle trembling of her body.

Beside her Troy fumed silently, he hadn't meant to expose her to the press but because he had been stupid enough to look for her, they'd spotted her. Now the speculation would start and he was convinced by morning she would be his latest in a long line of non-existent girlfriends. He was angry at himself, angry that he'd already exposed her to the seedier side of the business. She seemed to good, to nice, too innocent to be used by the tabloids in a ratings war, yet it would happen all thanks to him.

He jumped a little when he felt something touch his shoulder and he turned to look, surprised to see a now sleeping Gabriella resting against him.

Her face was relaxed and even more beautiful in sleep and he stared at her for a few minutes unable to help himself. He fought the urge to stroke her cheek, to count the freckles on her nose, to feel the delicate butterfly wings of her eyelashes against his fingers. His arm began to feel numb and he flexed it gently, subtly, trying not to disturb her. He looked down at her and tucked a stray midnight curl behind her ear, allowing his finger to softly tease the skin of her cheek, wondering what he was going to do about her. In the very short time he had known her she had gotten under his skin, maybe it was something to do with her innocence, her innate goodness, the fact that as yet she was untouched by this crazy business, or maybe it was simply the fact she was gorgeous. Whatever the reason having her curled this close to him was playing havoc with his hormones. She was sprawled against him, one leg curled beneath her causing dress to hike up, her olive toned knees peeking at him, flashing him a glimpse of soft slender thigh. He stared at her for long moments, knowing it was wrong, so wrong, yet unable to help himself. His hands burned with the need to touch her, he was overcome by the urge to stroke her soft skin, to slide his hands up her legs.

Her hot, sweet breath tickled his throat as she sighed in her sleep, her nose bumping just below the hard line of his jaw, the softness of her curls tickling his cheek, one firm, plump breast poking into his rib. He inhaled deeply, the scent of strawberries and freesias assailing him. Never had he smelt anything so sweet, so tempting.

Something hot and heavy twisted loose, stirring inside him and he fought the urge to pull her onto his lap, to hold her close, to cuddle her, to kiss her, to touch her. The thought of giving into his body's urges was having a very pronounced affect on said body, making blood pool hotly in his groin and tightening his pants uncomfortably. He shifted trying to release some of the tension he felt and inadvertently woke Gabriella who began to stir. She stretched and yawned for a second, still dozy not quite awake, snuggling against him with a soft moan, which went right to his groin. Troy looked down, amusement written in his blue eyes and watched for the second she came fully awake…3….2…1

Gabriella sat bolt upright in the seat, her whiskey colored eyes popping open as she became awake almost instantly she saw Troy looking down at her.

"Oh my God, I'm so, so sorry" she gushed, leaning away from him, wiping her mouth and eyeing his shirt for tell tale signs of drool.

"It's okay" he smiled, a real smile, not a "Troy Bolton" smile and Gabriella suddenly became aware that there was a difference. His publicity smile was hot but his real smile, well if she had not been sitting down it would have knocked her on her ass, his eyes lit up, crinkling in the corners.

"Really though I am so, so sorry" she apologized again and he shrugged.

"I cant' believe I just did that and on you" she squeaked

"Gabriella" his tone held a warning "We've been through this remember, I'm just an ordinary guy. I put my pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else"

Gabriella gulped at the thought of Troy putting on or taking off his pants but was prevented from commenting as the driver announced they had arrived at the hotel. Troy stepped from the car and Gabriella followed quickly behind him, pleased to see that no one even looked at them sideways as they checked in and were shown to their respective suites.

* * *

As she stepped inside she took stock of what had happened so far, she had shared the last few hours with Troy and felt as though she was getting to know him. Apart from the embarrassing crush conversation she felt things had gone well but now she was alone, she suddenly felt as though she had made a terrible mistake. She wanted her mom and she wanted to go home. She wasn't ready to do this? What if she couldn't do it? What if they all laughed at her? Tears began to fall as all the doubts she had tried to force to one side over the last few days came rushing to the surface. The phone rang, and Gabriella picked it up hesitantly

"Hello?" she sniffled.

Troy could hear the tears in her voice and knew she was crying again, he didn't think he had ever met a female who cried as much as she did.

"Brie? It's me," he said laughing softly at the unintentional rhyme.

"Oh hey"

"I was just calling to see if you're settling in okay?" he asked not mentioning the fact he was a little worried about her, her first night all alone in the big bad grown up world. She seemed so emotionally fragile right now.

"I guess"

"Want me to come along?" he offered, hoping he sounded casual.

"No I'll be okay, you must be exhausted" she protested half heartedly

"I'll be fine"

"Well I was just going to have a shower," she said softly and Troy hid a groan at the mental pictures her words evoked. He was about to revoke his offer when she spoke again, shyly hesitantly

"Can you give me ten minutes?"

He wanted to say no, knew he should have but instead he heard himself mutter "Sure".

He argued with himself all the way down to her room, he shouldn't be doing this, it wasn't right, especially when he was attracted to her. He told himself he was just being friendly, that he would have done the same for any of the others. Deep down knew it was a lie. Knocking on the door he heard a soft rustling before it swung open.

Gabriella stood there looking soft, uncertain, damp and so cute dressed head to toe in a large white toweling robe. She fidgeted with the belt and looked at him with a shy smile before stepping back to let him in.

"Hi" he said and cleared his throat, trying to avoid looking at her even though she was covered from her neck to her toes. Her hair was still damp, the curls clinging to her face and cheeks; the robe was tightly belted so he could make out the curve of her tiny waist but nothing else.

"Hi" she replied sounding breathless.

He cleared his throat again "So I thought I would run through what's going to happen tomorrow…you'll meet the rest of the guys and then we'll go straight into dance rehearsals…can you dance" he asked as an afterthought.

She nodded shyly "And I know you can"

He ducked his head, surprised by the embarrassment he felt "Well actually this is kinda one of those things that no one really knows except the cast but I'm not a great dancer, I always pick up things at the last minute….so please don't get mad when there is just us left at midnight still trying to get it blocked"

She giggled; secretly thinking it sounded wonderful, alone with Troy "I won't get mad, I promise"

There was a long charged silence as Troy began to broach the subject he'd been dreading, how to bring up their characters romance "So you've read the script and you're okay with everything?"

Gabriella blushed when she caught his meaning "Yeah I've read it, I've practically memorized it" she confessed, not wanting to talk about it.

"Shit, don't do that too soon, there'll be re writes to do"

Gabriella strolled over to the sofa "Well I had to do something this week" she said flopping down and picking up a large cushion. Troy followed her, settling himself beside her. He was content just to watch her from the corner of his eye, to watch as she curled her legs beneath her, fluffed her drying curls. He tried desperately not to think about what she wore under that robe, his body reacting despite himself and he adjusted the cushion he held to hide the effect she was having on him.

"Do you think they'll like me?" she asked softly after a moment

"Who?"

"The others, Chad Danforth, Sharpay Evens and the rest of the cast"

It struck Troy how worried she must be, to be the new girl and a kid at that.

"They'll think you're great, really they're a nice bunch, bit demented though" he said in an effort to make her smile, it worked and she dazzled him.

"I just hate being the new kid"

"It won't last long and if you make it through your first day and Chad has pulled a prank on you, you know your doing okay. Watch out for him he's a trickster"

"I'll remember that, thanks"

There was silence again and without warning she shifted onto her knees to look at him, her head tilting to one side as she studied him.

"You look tired," she said, taking in the signs of fatigue, staring down into his face, their gazes clashing.

"I am," he admitted, looking back into her whiskey colored eyes, unable to look away from their beauty.

"You have an early start, we both do," she murmured, trying and failing to suppress a little shiver of reaction as his gaze dropped to her mouth. Gabriella didn't know what was happening between them, didn't understand the strange heat coiling inside her. She licked her lip, nervously, unconsciously and Troy shifted in his seat, his arousal growing by the second.

"We do" he agreed, his voice husky, yet making no move to leave, as his eyes ate her up.

So looked so young, so beautiful but that was the problem. He forced himself to look away from her and got to his feet in one smooth movement, angling his body so she couldn't see the effect she had on him.

"I'd better go Brie, I'll see you in the morning. The car will be here at seven, breakfast is served from six…Sleep well" he called over his shoulder as he hurried from the room, as though the very hounds of hell were on his heels, leaving behind a very confused Gabriella. Friendly one moment, distant the next. Who knew what went on his head, she mused as she stared after him, a dreamy smile on her lips. Seconds later her smile stretched into a yawn and she realized it was way past her bedtime. Getting to her feet she turned off the lamp and padded into the bedroom, determined to sleep and forget about the nerve-wracking day ahead of her.


	7. Long Stand

**Hey everyone, thanx so much for the reviews…. you are my motivation…I think that I will change the rating of this to an M but not for a few chapters… Hope you enjoy, it's nothing too exciting but it is building up something I promise….Love ya's Tink. XXX**

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Gabriella peeked in the door, her heart thumping in her chest as she spotted her soon to be colleagues all stood around chatting and laughing. She wanted to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming, these were people she had watched on the big screen and now she was going to be one of them. Unbelievable. Her eyes drifted over the main stars of the movies and she couldn't believe how similar they looked.

Sharpay Evens looked gorgeous in her pink sweat pants and sparkly pink shirt, her platinum hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, as she giggled with Taylor McKessie as they looked over a script Chad Danforth held. She stared as Chad's hair bounced as he shook with laughter. They all looked so close that Gabriella immediately felt like an outsider.

"You can do this Gabriella" she said to herself softly as she took several deep breaths "come on Gabriella, be brave… they won't bite you"

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, you'll have to watch Chad I don't think he's house trained yet" came an amused voice from behind Gabriella.

Gabriella straightened, her cheeks flushing as Troy sauntered towards her looking so sexy he made her heart give a little flip flop. He wore another pair of cargo pants, a loose white t-shirt and a black beanie perched on his head, keeping his hair from his eyes. He looked so sinful it should be illegal as he stood there with his hands stuffed in his pockets a sheepish grin curving his perfect lips.

"Thanks for the warning" she murmured fighting not to stare at him.

"So are you planning on going in on are you just gonna stand there talking to yourself all day…might make rehearsals a bit tricky though" he said grinning as she stuck his hands in the back pockets of his pants, rocking on his heels.

"Oh ha ha" she said and stuck out her tongue.

"Very mature Gabriella, Gabriella"

"Hey I'm only seventeen, you want mature look else where" she joked, unknowingly causing Troy's gut to twist. He was fully aware of that fact even if his body wasn't.

Today she looked every inch the child he accused her of being, he forced himself to stop thinking about her figure.

"Seriously though, they'll be wanting to make a start, Evens can be a nightmare if she's kept waiting"

Gabriella's hand flew to her mouth "Really? Is she really that bad?"

Troy winked lazily "Nah, I just wanted to get a rise out of you but it's far too easy…c'mon Gabriella Gabriella lets go meet the gang" he said with a grin and pushed open the door Gabriella lent on, sending her tumbling inside.

It was comical the way it happened, like something from a movie. The second she stumbled through the door, the entire room went silent and everybody turned to stare at her as though she had suddenly grown two heads. As Gabriella steadied herself and straightened up she blushed and waved her limply hand in embarrassment "Er Hi"

"Oh my god, which farm did they find you on?" Sharpay asked not unkindly, looking at the terrified young girl who chewed her bottom lip nervously. She wore a pair of sweat pants and a white wife beater and her hair was tied back in two neat plaits, giving her the look of a twelve year old.

Gabriella shook her head and shot a helpless look at Troy.

"Evens, be nice it's her first day…everyone this is Gabriella Gabriella Montez" he said with a wicked smile.

"Gabriella, Gabriella?" Taylor asked with an inquisitive look and a friendly smile.

"It's just Brie, ignore him" she said with a pointed look at Troy, stepping further into the room.

"Hi I'm Taylor, welcome to the mad house," she said with a warm smile

"Thanks" she smiled back nervously as Chad stepped around Taylor and stuck out his hand

"Chad Danforth, cool to meet you"

"Er thanks" she said and reluctantly shook his proffered hand, wondering if it was going to contain a short sharp shock.

"Sharpay Evens but you knew that right? So Gabriella you're joining our happy little camp, well good luck you're gonna need it partnering old left foot Bolton here" she said with a grin and a jerk of her head to where Troy stood watching a few feet away, a bemused expression on his handsome face.

"Is he that bad?" she asked innocently and Taylor shook her head.

"No he's worse, but you'll manage as long as you stay away from his feet, right Troy?"

Troy stuck out his tongue and turned to talk to one of the back up dancers, giving them a high five, confident that Gabriella would be okay.

"I'm sure he's better than me at any rate, I don't have a whole lot of experience" she confessed with a nervous laugh.

Two platinum eyebrows rose "You don't say"

Taylor elbowed Sharpay "Ignore her Gabriella, you'll be fine and really Troy isn't that bad once you learn to move out of his way quickly"

Gabriella giggled at the image, just as a tall lanky blonde came into the studio. She recognized him immediately from her audition; it was Ryan Evens, assistant choreographer and Sharpay's twin brother.

"Okay guys, now we've all caught up, school is in session" he called out, clapping his hands for attention.

"So Brendan wants us to run through the end number first, says it's the trickiest, especially for some of us" he said with a pointed look at Troy, who merely grinned used to the comments.

Gabriella settled herself on the floor when Taylor and Sharpay did and tried not to look at Troy too much, she was here to be a professional and not drool over him.

"Usual routine guys, music first, block it through, choreography and then final run through? Any questions? Great then lets do this" he finished on a whoop and pressed play on the music system. Gabriella listened as the first strains of the "last Chance, Last Dance" filtered though the room, it was catchy and upbeat and sure to be a hit.

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As the music played Ryan stood before them playing with a few moves, checking his timing, and Gabriella watched fascinated. He could sure move! Within minutes of the song beginning Gabriella worried that she couldn't be able to keep up with the complicated routine but vowed to do her best, praying she wouldn't show herself up. All to soon the dancers were reluctantly getting to their feet and standing before the mirrored wall, jostling for the best position.

"Okay line up goes like this…Sharpay and Zeke, Taylor and Chad and Gabriella and Troy, everyone else organize yourselves" Ryan commanded and Gabriella moved as instructed, feeling incredibly nervous yet incredibly hyped. She just hoped she didn't make an idiot of herself or stand on anyone.

The next few hours were one of the longest of her life as she tried to get down all the set moves, it was hard work and she was soon sweating, feeling self-conscious. Glancing around she saw that she wasn't the only one; most of the cast was hot and sticky. Beside her Troy was focused and concentrated on the dance but even she could see he struggled with certain sections. It made her feel a little better than even someone as experienced as he was struggled with the moves, he caught her eye on more than one occasion and nodded encouragingly with a crooked smile that made her knees feel weak. Each time he did Gabriella felt her heart swell with gratitude and affection. He was so considerate looking out for her. She was grateful when Ryan called time for lunch break.

She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and flopped to the floor, feeling a little hot and bothered, she was soon joined by Sharpay and Taylor and for the next few minutes they made small talk.

"Aw man!" Chad groaned as he came to join them, wiping his hands on the back of his pants.

"What's up stud?" Taylor asked him with a grin.

"Ryan wants a long stand, wants me to go to props for one, I'm bushed, can't one of you guys go?" he whined, a pleading look on his face.

Sharpay and Taylor shook their heads, hiding their grins. Chad turned to Gabriella with a big smile "Gabriella, would you go please? The props manager hates me and will keep me there all day, you're prettier than I am, he'll give it to you…please?" he asked with an innocent smile.

Gabriella sighed she was tired but she wanted to be accepted "Okay, what do I need?"

"Just tell the props manager you are there for a long stand, he'll sort you out," he said blandly as Gabriella got wearily to her feet, collecting her bottle.

"Where's props?"

"Back out the door, down the hall and second on your left" he said.

Gabriella nodded and taking a gulp of her water, crossed the studio, smiling briefly at Troy as she went past him. He watched her with interest, wondering where she was going and seconds after she left the studio he had his answer as Chad began to laugh hysterically. He got up and made his way to his best friend.

"Danforth what have you done to Brie?" he asked with a smile.

"Protective are we? Don't panic Troy, she's just gone for a long stand in the props department," he laughed again and the girls rolled their eyes.

"You're an idiot," he said without anger "You do know she'll stay there until one of us fetches her right"

"Let me guess Troy, you'll volunteer for the job… she's made quite an impression on you obviously" Sharpay said with a grin and Troy frowned.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"She's like a little puppy, her eyes follow you wherever you go… sweet really in a perverted kinda way"

"Shar she's just a silly kid with a crush, she'll get over it" he snapped, his anger rising as she unknowingly touched a nerve.

"Chill out Bolton, I was just teasing you, Christ"

"It's not funny Shar, think what people would say if they heard _you_ of all people making that smart arsed remark… you can be so stupid sometimes…I'm going to find her before Ryan gets back"

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He found Gabriella standing quietly with her back to him. As he approached he took the time to appreciate her figure without anyone noticing. He let his eyes wander over her lazily, unable to help himself, despite what his head told him about her age, his body didn't seem to care. She was curved in all the right places from her tiny waist, to her softly flaring hips and lush firm ass. He felt like the pervert Sharpay had accused him of being but there was something about her, she just drew him in.

"A long stand huh?"

Gabriella span around to find Troy watching her with an amused grin, as realization crossed her features.

"Chad!" she said and then groaned with a little pout " I really am naive aren't I?"

"Don't worry about it, he's got most of us at one time or another…. you gonna come back with me or stick around for a while?"

She nodded and crossed to his side " Well as much fun as I'm having, I don't think I'm going to get much accomplished here…So you were right, you do struggle with some of the moves"

"Told you so…. I'll be fine we'll just have to practice… a lot"

Gabriella nodded thrilled at the idea of spending so much time with.

"These lift things, do we have to do them?" she asked biting her lip nervously, referring to the lifts in the routine they had been rehearsing.

"Why?"

"Well it'll just feel a little weird that's all, I don't want you to drop me"

"Are you doubting my strength?" he teased as he flexed his arm and showed her the muscle bulging and rippling beneath his skin. Gabriella almost fainted at the sight, her knees getting a little weak and she shivered at the thought of those arms around her, lifting her, holding her tightly against him.

"No, just you know… it's… weird"

He shook his head "Not to me, you'll get used to it, by the time this shoot is over I will guarantee everybody will have had a go with you"

Gabriella blinked owlishly at his choice of words "They will not" she protested and Troy chuckled at the sexual innuendo.

"You know what I mean… you have a dirty mind Miss Montez"

Gabriella looked at him, if only you knew, she thought, biting her lip.

Applause sounded as she entered the room, everybody was clapping and cheering. Gabriella blushed, looking at her feet, knowing they had tricked her. She smiled good-naturedly and waited for the noise to die down, it did just as Ryan approached them again.

"Guys, I need to do some work with Troy and Gabriella, so everyone take an extra hour" he said, causing a roar of approval, as one by one the others left the studio, leaving them alone.

"Okay so you two have some of the most complicated lifts in the whole movie and we need to get you to a head start on this, especially you Troy…. Gabriella if you could come and stand here, with your back to me….okay so your hands will be up and wrapped around Troy's neck, Troy you'll have one hand between her shoulder blades the other at the base of her spine….Gabi when I saw now I want you to spring lightly off your right foot and make an arch with your back, your arms staying above your head….got it?"

Gabriella nodded, processing all of Ryan's instructions, bracing herself for the inevitable now. When she heard it she did as asked and after only two attempts, Ryan lifted her into the air and span in a circle before letting her down again.

"Easy right Troy?" he asked with a grin, looking at the sullen faced Troy.

Troy said nothing, biting back his anger at seeing Ryan touch Gabriella so openly, almost intimately. He knew Ryan was gay… he was just being irrational. He nodded briskly.

"Ready to try with Troy?"

Gabriella nodded, terrified at the thought as Troy came to stand behind her.

She could feel the heat from the solid wall of his chest against her back; feel the brush of his knees behind hers. Her heart thumped heavily in her chest, whether from fear or reaction she wasn't sure as she waited for Troy to put his hands in the places they needed to be.

"Gabi, you need to put your arms around his neck" Ryan prodded gently and watched as biting her lips she complied, hoping no one would notice the slight tremor in her hands.

As her hands connected behind his head they seared, as she felt the combination of the hot skin at the nape of his neck and the contrast of his hair, so soft and cool that it tickled her fingers where they meshed together.

Troy tried not to stare down over Gabriella's shoulder into the deep v revealing her cleavage as her breasts were thrust upwards from the position of her arms. A chill broke out over his skin as he felt the touch of her hand against the nape of his neck, he could feel the slight trembling of her hands, as her fingers brushed his hair, almost caressing him.

"Okay so Troy, one hand between her shoulder blades and the other at the base of her spine" Ryan told them nodding encouragingly.

Troy did as asked and the second his hands came into contact with the bare flesh just above her ass, she snapped upright as though shocked. Her spine tensed in a millisecond at the electric contact of skin on skin.

"Right Gabriella, light jump and up, your head needs to be back, your left knee bent and point your right foot…okay 1, 2,3 and up"

Gabriella tried to follow his instructions but all she could think about was the feel of Troy's hands against her flesh and when she tried to jump, she misjudged, only managing to stay in the air for a split second before landing heavily.

"Sorry" she said guiltily.

"No problem just try it again" Ryan encouraged as Gabriella moved back into position. This time as soon as she was in the air she began to slip, sliding down Troy's body quickly to land in a heap on the floor.

"Shit, Gabriella, sorry" he apologized as she lay on her back, the wind knocked out of her.

She shook her head from side to side "It's okay" she panted as she sucked in a lungful of air

"You just slipped" he bent down to offer her his hand.

"Balance wasn't quite right" Ryan said cheerfully as he watched Gabriella ignore Troy's hand and climb unsteadily to her feet, wincing slightly and rubbing her back where she landed.

"You okay?"

"Sure, told you I was too heavy" she said good-naturedly.

Troy snorted and Gabriella melted, she thought it was the most adorable sound she had ever heard.

"Ready to go again?" he asked her with a wicked smile.

The third time was marginally more successful in that she didn't land in a heap when she slipped, she managed to catch herself. The fourth time was a write off as Gabriella didn't spring enough and ended up flailing in midair like a flightless bird. The fifth and sixth times she didn't arch enough and was just left hanging in the air. The seventh time she arched too much and nearly went over Troy's head, only his quick thinking saved her, as he grabbed her around her hips, his hands dangerously close to her core.

Too close for his liking, as Troy flushed as bright a red as Gabriella did. He apologized gruffly much to the amusement of Ryan, who had never seen him so flustered. The ninth time the top of Gabriella's head collided with Troy's chin, sending him spinning and cursing, leaving Gabriella mortified and apologetic.

"Okay guys enough….this clearly isn't working…Gabriella try this again with me and we'll break it down, movement by movement" Ryan said when it became apparent to them all, this was going nowhere fast.

Troy sighed tiredly and sat on the floor, his back to the wall, watching them run through it, surprised when Gabriella executed each move perfectly, time and time again, creating a delicate arch with her body.

"See…so what's the problem? Why can't you do this with Troy, you can do it with me"

"It doesn't feel the same when he does it" she confessed, in a hushed tone, her cheeks burning.

Ryan nodded knowingly, so Gabriella had a crush on Troy? That would explain why she seemed too jittery around him and why she couldn't seem to focus when he touched her.

"Well all you can do is practice but not today…Troy you have to see Brendan and Gabriella I was asked to remind you that your tutor will be coming in an hour, so maybe you should go shower and change?" he said with a smile.

Gabriella nodded, glad of a reason to get out of the studio frustrated with herself for not being able to control her reaction to Troy's touch, his nearness. She offered them both a weak smile and turned to look at Troy, who watched her from his position on the floor.

"I'll see you later guys" she said and gathered up her things, before leaving the studio with one last look at Troy. He winked reassuringly and her heart flip flopped in her chest, making it hard to breathe.

Ryan waited until she was out of sight before he sat down next to Troy.

"So she has a thing for you"

Troy nodded tiredly and rubbed his eyes, pretending it wasn't because he didn't want Ryan to know he was attracted to her too.

"She'll get over it," he said blandly.

"Well she'd better, Christ she nearly practically melts when ever you touch her," he said with a chuckle.

"Give her a few more days of me standing on her toes and running the same move with her again and again, her crush will vanish, trust me" he said his lolling back against the wall his eyes shut.

"It will if you don't encourage it"

Troy snapped, his eyes popping open "What the fuck?"

"The goofy smiles, the winks when you think no one is looking, you're as good as telling her you feel the same"

"Ryan she's a kid, I've had this conversation once today already with Sharpay" he growled "I didn't think I would have to have it again so soon"

Ryan shrugged "Hey I tell it how I see it, if your not interested then stop encouraging her"

"Of course I'm not fucking interested! She's a kid Ryan, did you not just hear me say that! That's sick," he snarled, getting to his feet.

"She's seventeen Troy, that's hardly a child," he pointed out mildly as Troy stalked across the room.

"It is to _me…._ she has a crush that's all, there's no more to it than that. She's a _kid_ Ryan," he said as he pushed open the door, leaving Ryan to wonder if he was trying to convince himself of the fact too.


	8. Fit right in!

**Hey everyone…this chapter is a bit of a filler but will maybe give you a bit more insight into the workings of Troy and Gabriella's minds. This chapter has a few cuss words in and adultish themes, I still don't think it needs upgrading to an M yet but that is the direction I am planning on taking it eventually. Also haven't read this too carefully as am very tired and want to post (yes lazy of me i know) so please forgive any errors... Anyway Please share your thoughts with me. Love to all. Tink. Xx**

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Troy swore under his breath as he stalked angrily from the studio. It seemed the tug of attraction he felt towards Gabriella was noticeable to all but Gabriella herself thankfully. No matter how many times he reminded himself she was just a kid, his body overrode his mind and reacted to her nearness. He felt slightly sick with himself yet he couldn't stop. He wanted her, not just her beautiful body but also her quick wit, her intelligence, her clever tongue. He groaned when he thought about how he would like to feel that clever tongue on him and immediately his body began to harden painfully. Where Gabriella was concerned he was working on a hair trigger. There was just something about her that set him off.

He looked up to see her coming towards him and he cursed again, viciously, as he took in the way her hips swung provocatively, her pert breasts bouncing gently with each step she took. He watched as her full lips curved into a smile when she spotted him, her entire face lighting up.

"Hey" she breathed becoming frozen as he reached her.

"Hey" he replied curtly, not bothering to stop, carrying on down the hall without looking back. If he had, he would have caught the look of hurt and confusion that crossed her beautiful face.

Troy carried on walking, trying to ignore the feeling of guilt gnawing at his insides. He had to put some distance between them or else he would never survive the next twelve weeks. He just couldn't seem to control the reaction of his body around her, if people were already commenting on how he felt about her, he was in big trouble. Something would have to change and that something was him.

Gabriella stood shocked for a few seconds. She was returning to the studio as she had forgotten her book bag and hadn't expected to see Troy. Even more unexpected was his abrupt and cold behavior. He had responded so bluntly, a perfunctory hello, not even a smile, his eyes not meeting hers. Had she done something wrong? Had she upset him because they couldn't nail the routine? Had she made him angry with her amateurish ways? An uncomfortable feeling knotted her stomach as she continued walking and returned to the studio. She felt on edge and almost teary, her face a little pale. Sharpay and Taylor had returned to the studio and were running some moves; they stopped as Gabriella came in.

"Hey Gab, come and join us" called Taylor with a smile.

Gabriella collected her bag and crossed the room to stand beside them.

"So how are you finding it so far?" Taylor asked her.

Gabriella shrugged " Hard work, but I'm enjoying it…it's difficult being away from home though"

"First time away from the farm?" Sharpay asked sarcastically and Taylor elbowed her. Gabriella just looked at her in confusion.

"I'm supposed to be on my way for my first study session"

Taylor nodded in understanding "Brendan told me you're an honor student…Stanford isn't it?"

Gabriella flushed embarrassed to be talking about this.

"I was captain of my scholastic decathlon team" Taylor confessed with a knowing smile.

"Me too" admitted Gabriella.

"Well color me happy" Sharpay rolled her eyes at the pair of them.

"Don't mind Shar, all the peroxide she's used over the years has fried her few remaining brain cells"

"I do not dye my hair!" Sharpay protested, fluffing out her famous platinum locks.

Gabriella and Taylor shared a look, Sharpay was more concerned with people believing she dyed her hair than the fact they had accused her of having no brain cells!

"Sure Shar…. so do you need any help running your lines?"

Gabriella shook her head a small smile playing over her mouth "No thanks, Troy said we could rehearse together… he said he'd give me a few pointers"

"I'll bet he did" Shar said slyly and Taylor threw her a look.

"And everyone else has been so nice and friendly"

"Yeah, so how are you getting on with our resident love god?" Shar questioned the puzzled girl.

"Ignore her Gabriella, you know we're all here if you need any help"

Gabriella smiled at the girls "Thanks, anyway I better get going"

"Don't want to be late for class" Sharpay smirked.

Gabriella just smiled, she was confused by Sharpay. She didn't get the feeling she was being malicious but she didn't really understand why she was making so many sarcastic and cryptic comments.

Taylor watched as Gabriella struggled to understand what Sharpay was doing. She was a nice girl but very naïve and didn't deserve the caustic treatment she had been getting from Sharpay. The fact she had a thing for Troy was obvious from the moment they had been introduced but what was less clear was Troy's reaction to her. Sharpay was already convinced Troy was attracted to her but Taylor wasn't so sure. She felt a pang of sympathy for Gabriella, it was a lot to take on board and having the ice queen making catty comments was not helping matters. Sharpay wasn't a bitch she just liked to poke fun, but hers was an acquired taste and could be mistaken as maliciousness unless you knew her.

When she and Chad had first gotten together, Sharpay had ribbed them mercilessly and now it appeared she had Gabriella and possibly Troy in her sights.

"Sharpay give her a break, she's just a kid" Taylor said as Gabriella left the studio for her tutoring session.

"Strangely enough that's what Bolton said…I'm just playing with her Tay relax"

"Yeah but I don't think she's ready for your sense of humor…she's clueless Shar"

"Clueless? Well she's sure doing something right to have Bolton's panties in such a twist"

Taylor shook her head "I just don't see it Shar, she's not his type"

Sharpay snorted and flicked her hair "I'll bet you one hundred bucks that they're at it before the wrap party"

"Sharpay! Don't be such a bitch…there's nothing there"

"Not yet but I wouldn't like to bet on it"

"You just did dumbass," Taylor laughed and Sharpay scowled, turning her attention back to her script.

* * *

Gabriella was still perplexed by Troy's abrupt mood change and found her tutoring session to be less than productive. She had always found comfort in math, it's familiar and unchanging formulae but today something just wasn't connecting. Sitting through hour after hour, made her brain hurt and not for the first time she wished she could just go home. So it was with great relief that Gabriella left the schoolroom to return to the studio, a pang of disappointment inside her when she realized Troy was not back from his meeting with Brendan. Busying herself with rehearsals she couldn't help glance longingly at the door whenever it swung open, each time she hoped it was Troy, each time in vain. After the second hour she gave up watching for him and threw herself into the routine. There was one movement she just couldn't get and she struggled, frustrated with herself.

"Argh!" she cried, stamping her foot a little against the floor of the studio in temper.

"Hey are you okay?" came a deep and soothing voice.

Gabriella looked up to see a tall cute guy smiling down at her as he brushed his blue-black hair from his eyes. He had friendly brown eyes and a cheeky smile, his face was warm and open and there was something incredibly child like about him. Gabriella smiled back, liking him instantly.

"Yeah, I'm just having a small tantrum but I'm good" she smiled back at him.

He lifted one dark brow "Hmm I can see that…need some help?"

"Sure, I feel as though I have two left feet" she confessed quietly with a smile. After the sting of Troy's cold behavior it was nice to see a friendly face and warm smile.

"Yeah but they're cute" he said with a grin and Gabriella felt a tell tale blush spread over her cheeks.

"Thanks"

"I'm Flynn by the way," he said sticking out his hand.

Gabriella shook it with a shy smile "Gabriella Montez"

"The new girl" he laughed and she smiled again, feeling a surge of warmth towards this friendly stranger who seemed happy to put her at her ease.

"That's me, so you think you can help me?"

He looked down at her "Well looks like it'd gonna be tough but I suppose somebody has to do it. Which move is it?"

"The one where I spin into Troy and then he twirls me on the spot….I just can't seem to get my feet in the right place at the right time" she explained, unaware of the frustration coloring her tone.

"You mean this one?" he asked and then demonstrated the move perfectly.

Gabriella stared at him in amazement, as he executed the move with no trouble.

"That was great" she beamed.

He shrugged modestly "It's easy really, don't forget I've been doing this longer than you…wanna try?" he held out his hand and with a smile Gabriella grabbed hold of it, her smile changing to a delighted grin as he span her into his arms and proceeded to twirl her in the air.

That was how Troy saw them as he entered the room a few minutes later and immediately his mood blackened. Flynn had his arms wrapped tightly around her waist and was spinning her in a circle as she squealed in delight. Her face was alight with happiness and joy and it tugged at his heart and stomach. He told himself he should be glad that she had found someone closer to her own age to be friends with but all he felt was consuming jealousy. He crossed the room and came to a stop before them.

"Having fun Gabriella?" he asked his tone slightly acerbic.

"Oh Troy, you're back…. we can practice that lift again…Flynn has showed me how to do it"

Troy looked from the grinning Flynn to Gabriella with a sour look "I bet he has…you know we're here to work Gabriella, not screw around with the back up dancers"

Gabriella flushed red and trembled slightly under Troy's annoyed demeanor. She had never seen him angry, she was only familiar with the face he presented to the public.

"We weren't screwing around Troy, Gabriella was really struggling with that lift but she got through it with my help" he said somewhat cockily and Troy resisted the urge to punch him.

"Well thanks but I can handle it from here, back up boy" he snapped with a sarcastic grin.

Gabriella watched the exchange, a little frightened and puzzled. Why was Troy acting so mean all of a sudden? She just didn't understand him, she had done nothing expect work hard and now he was acting like a jerk.

"No problem superstar" Flynn retorted with a wide grin before turning to Gabriella "I'll see you around Gab, if you need anymore help you know where to find me"

He winked and Gabriella offered him a weak smile, feeling as though here was something going on she didn't know about.

"Yeah, thanks Flynn" she said softly and watched him walk away.

She turned to Troy with a shy smile, thrilled that he was back; unaware it was showing on her expressive face.

"Gabriella I thought you were here to work, not flirt with the back up dancers" he snapped, ignoring the stab of hurt he saw on her face.

"What? I, I wasn't" she protested quietly "he was helping me"

"Sure, whatever…it's your career" Troy said with a careless shrug "So do you want to finish this routine now or should I call lover boy back?"

Gabriella bristled and shielded her hurt by gritting her teeth "I'm ready now" she said and forced a smile, whilst inside she seethed. How dare he speak to her like that? She was still a colleague whether he liked it or not. Where had the kind, considerate, gentle Troy she had met on the plane, gone?

"Yo Evens" Troy hollered across the studio "Mind if me and Gabriella use studio 2 for a while? Nail this routine"

Ryan shrugged and grinned, "Long as that's all you're nailin'"

* * *

Gabriella was mortified as the meaning of his words sunk in and she felt another blush spread across her cheeks, wanting the ground to open up and swallow her. Troy gave Ryan the finger and he stalked across the studio giving her little choice but to follow, trying to ignore the knowing smiles on the faces of the cast.

Outside the sun was beginning to dip and it was getting on towards early evening. Gabriella realized with a start that she had no idea what time it was or how long she had been there and as she struggled to keep up with Troy across the studio lot she suddenly wished she was back at home in Albuquerque where things were a hell of a lot simpler.

Troy had a long stride and she had to practically skip at his side to keep up. His face was set and taut, yet he said nothing to her. Studio 2 was smaller than the large room they had been rehearsing in all day and Gabriella wondered if she would ever find her way around, and become familiar with the studios. Troy seemed to know his way around like the back of his hand but it was his third here. She watched with caution as he threw off the hoodie he was wearing to reveal his wife beater. She fought hard with the urge not to stare at his perfectly sculpted body but she couldn't stop herself. She had never been this close to a scantily clothed male before and despite her reaction to his nearness, a lot of her looks were out of blatant curiosity.

Troy could see Gabriella was uncertain of him as she stood nervously in the corner biting her lip, unsure what if anything to say to him. She was alternating between staring at him as though he were her last meal and hiding her face from him. He had acted like a jerk and he knew it but for some reason he couldn't always think straight around Gabriella. He was angry at himself for showing his lack of control around her, not at her for talking with Flynn. He knew he owed her an apology, as much she needed to get over her crush, he couldn't be a bastard to her.

"Look I'm sorry I snapped at you okay?" he bit out; unable to take Gabriella's wounded looks any longer.

She shrugged, saying nothing, chewing on her bottom lip once more, looking even more scared than she had five minutes ago.

"It's just I've had a hard day, Ryan and Sharpay have been raggin on me and then I come in an find you screwing around with Flynn…I didn't think you were taking this seriously…this may be your big dream come true but this is our careers Gabriella…I just thought you were messing around" he explained his voice a little calmer a little quieter as he stepped towards her running his hands though his hair.

"It's okay Troy, I understand but for the record I wasn't messing about…Flynn really helped me get it," she said softly but she was still wary of him. He took a deep breath and then another, huffing softly, looking at the ceiling trying to calm himself. She didn't deserve to be spoken to like that.

"I'm sorry Brie…I'm acting like a bastard I know…it's not your fault it's just like this sometimes" he said quietly, his eyes meeting her and pining her with his slate blue gaze.

"But it's only the first day"

"For you, some of us have been working on this for years now remember…same faces…same conflicts"

"It's okay really….It just took me by surprise that's all…you've always seemed so –"

"Insanely happy…you have to be in the public eye…you can never have an off day…remember what I told you on the plane, I'm just a guy like all the rest and like most guys, I can be a miserable son of bitch when I want to be"

"I can see that now" she said and allowed a small chuckle "Just remind me to stay out of your way"

Troy smiled at her in relief and she felt her heart speed up. Would she never get used to that look in his eyes when he smiled at her?

"So do you want to try again?"

She nodded and moved to his side, trying not to think how good they looked together, especially when he had his strong arms wrapped around her. She tried hard not to stare at their reflections in the mirror, the way he held her, the muscles and veins in his arms bunching and moving as he lifted her, the size of his hands on her body. He was beautiful she thought dreamily as he lifted her into the air as though she weighed no more than a small child.

Gabriella tried not to notice the feeling of his hands against her bare skin and the resulting tingle it evoked, the shivery feelings it produced inside her. After what seemed like an eternity but was in reality only an hour or so Troy pronounced that he was happy with their lift.

"So is that it, we're done for the day?" she asked with a hopeful look, as she flopped onto the floor, bracing her hands behind her, stretching out her aching muscles.

Troy looked down to answer her question and he had to swallow back a little groan as he took in Gabriella stretched out before him. She wasn't being intentionally seductive yet it was having that effect anyway as her tee rode up slightly bearing her soft hollow stomach to him, her breasts straining against the material as she moved.

"Er, sure" he answered unsteadily forcing himself to look away.

"Really we can go home now?" she sounded so excited by the prospect that he grinned, "What I wouldn't give for a long hot shower," she moaned a little in delight.

Troy felt all the blood in his entire body rush to his groin. His mental pictures complete with noise she made, pulled his pants suddenly tight. Twisting his slightly away from her and cursing under his breath, he reached down and offered her his hand, ignoring the zing of electricity that raced trough him as she accepted and jumped lightly to her feet.

"We'd better check in with the rest of the cast, just to make sure but I think for now we're done and guess what?" he said his slate blue eyes alight with amusement.

"What?" she sounded breathless in anticipation.

"You get to do it all over again tomorrow," he said with a chuckled as she appeared visibly disappointed by his revelation.

"Oh ha ha…you're a comedian" she said and stuck out her tongue.

"Seriously though, how was your first day? As bad as you thought?" he asked as they made their way back to the larger studio.

Gabriella considered for a second and shook her head "No, much much easier…everyone's been great"

"Told you, we're like one big happy yet slightly crazy family…you Gabriella, Gabriella, fit right in".

Gabriella beamed, his words thrilling her to her core and she looked at him for long seconds as they stopped walking, their gazes clashing. For Gabriella it was as though no one else existed at that moment but her and Troy, she was aware of nothing more than her own galloping heart and unsteady breathing. They were caught in their own little bubble where nothing and no one could intrude except for…Sharpay fucking Evens.

"Bolton! Get your skinny ass over here and leave the farm girl alone you pervert!" she shrieked in an ear piercing screech, waving a tattered script above her head, looking slightly demented.

Troy wanted to kill her, slowly and very very painfully but figured she was in a bad enough mood already that he wouldn't tangle with her, not if he wanted to come out of it alive.

"Sharpay?" he said turning to her with a falsely sweet smile "What the fuck do you want"

"They cut my solo because of you, Brendan just told me…it's now gonna be a duet between… hmm guess who?" she shrieked, uncaring of the laughter around her.

Gabriella looked around, a little freaked by Sharpay's outburst but saw that no one was taking her seriously and she allowed herself to relax slightly. But she couldn't help wondering why Sharpay had called Troy a pervert, she felt herself blush, was there some deep dark secret she didn't know about him? Because Zefron was a family company, they didn't sexualize their stars the way some production companies did but maybe Troy was a closet pervert. Gabriella secretly hoped so though she didn't really know what she would do with him if she ever got him.

"Don't worry Brie" Troy said in a gentle tone "Sharpay hasn't taken her pills today that's all….Shar I don't know what the hell you're going on about but we've all had a long day I'm going back to the hotel and so is Gabriella"

"Oh yeah I just bet you are, you don't waste any time do you Bolton?" she sneered and the grin disappeared from his face, to be replaced by anger.

Gabriella looked between the two of them and felt a flurry if unease, was Sharpay implying what she thought she was implying. Was that what she had meant by calling him a pervert? Gabriella felt a wave of humiliation wash over her; did everyone think there was something between them?

"Sharpay, stop this right now! This isn't fair to Gabriella, don't take this out on her cause you got cut, it's not her fault" Troy snapped, his voice rising in anger, the rest of the room silent.

"Yeah you would say that Bolton, protect your little schoolgirl girlfriend" she shouted, her face turning an ugly shade of red. Gabriella wanted to die, she couldn't believe what she was hearing, where her feelings that obvious.

"It's not true Sharpay!" Gabriella said sounding on the verge of hysteria "Tell her Troy"

Troy gave her a gentle look and then turned the full force of his anger back on the pouting blond "She knows it's not, she'd only saying it to cause trouble…I can't believe that you could be this petty Sharpay, if you have a problem go speak to Brendan…This is not mine or Gabriella's fault and as for schoolgirls, you're the one acting like one, so grow the fuck up" he snarled, too angry to care about the gaping looks. He turned to Gabriella who looked as though she were about to cry

"Come on Gabriella, let's go"

And on legs which shook, she obediently followed him from the room.


End file.
